Trajectory
by GhostAlive
Summary: AU Seph/Aer Sephiroth needs Aeris to complete his mad quest but Aeris has other ideas. Bit of a dark fic, mature themes, hopefully with a happy ending because I'm a sucker for those.
1. Chapter 1

TRAJECTORY

Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own FF7 and write this for fun not profit.

Summary: AU, Seph/Aer. Sephiroth needs Aeris to complete his mad quest but Aeris has other ideas. Bit of a dark fic, mature themes, hopefully with a happy ending because I'm a sucker for those.

AN: Soo.. I wrote this stupid thing, thought I'd post it, maybe someone likes it. English is not my first language so sorry about any weird language.

CHAPTER 1.

Aeris Gainsborough was dashing madly through the slums, her pursuers hot on her trail. It was the Turks again and this time they seemed particularly determined to capture her. She weaved her way through back alleys she knew like the back of her hand, trying to stay as low as possible. Her destination was the one place where she always felt completely safe and at peace. Her heart leapt with joy as the familiar tall form of an abandoned church came to view.

Aeris hurried inside the church, perhaps she could lose her pursuers by hiding here a moment. She hugged the entrance walls, trying to melt into the shadows as much as she could while peeking around the corner to see if anyone was in sight. The slums looked as empty as always this time of evening, but the piles of rubble, various debris and the hastily put together shacks could hide many things. After a while of silence peppered with the odd cry of a monster in the distance Aeris allowed herself a few calming breaths. It looked like she'd made her escape. When she turned to check on her flowers for comfort however, she froze.

She was not alone in the church.

A man carrying an ominous looking blade stood in front of her flowerpatch, his back turned to her. He was dressed entirely in black and had long, flowing silver hair that was slightly blowing in the breeze. He looked utterly out of place in her sanctuary. Aeris bit her lip in thought. She didn't think he'd heard her enter since he appeared to be deep in thought, standing still as a statue with his head slightly bowed towards the flowers. Should she make her presence known or brave the streets again, risking discovery if the Turks were still out there searching for her?

After a moments consideration she chose to take her chances with the stranger, even if something about his stillness disturbed her for some reason. She took a few hesitant steps towards him and cleared her throat to catch his attention. Very slowly the stranger lifted his head to glance at her over his shoulder. His features were half cast in shadow, but Aeris could recognize the Mako glow in his eyes. Suddenly Aeris found herself questioning the wisdom of approaching him. He looked at her coolly, and though there wasn't anything overly threatening in his expression, Aeris felt a chill go through her. "Uh.." She stammered and shifted nervously on her feet. Something deep within told her that this was no ordinary man, and that she should beware.

He finally turned to face her fully, icy green eyes still watching her. Aeris felt like shrinking under his scrutinizing stare. It was like he was sizing her up, _like he knew who she was_ , somehow, even though Aeris was certain she'd never met him. She'd remember such an imposing figure. Briefly she wondered what he was doing at the church anyway. Somehow she doubted he'd come to admire her flowers.

His silence was defeaning.

"Are you uh, waiting for someone? I just came to.. umm, tend to my flowers." Aeris stumbled over her words, hating the little quiver in her voice as she addressed him. "I'm Aeris Gainsborough, by the way." She said, attempting a friendly smile but most likely failing miserably. The stranger didn't return it.

"I know who you are."

Aeris' blood suddenly turned to ice. He was clearly a SOLDIER, or at least had been at some point, it was obvious from the glow in his eyes. Had he come for her too, to take her back to ShinRa?

"Uh, on second thought I think the flowers can wait a while longer. I'll just be on my way then." Aeris told him, taking a nervous step back and then turning for the exit. Just as she reached it, she felt him grabbing her wrist, pulling her against his chest. "Leaving so soon? You and I have business to discuss." His deep baritone voice spoke in her ear.

Aeris tried to wrest her arm free, but his grip was like iron. With a growing panic Aeris became aware of just how alone she was in this isolated place with him. "Please, let me go, I didn't mean to disturb you."

"I don't think so. There's something you and I are going to be doing." The finality in his voice was terrifying, even though she couldn't see his expression. Aeris felt tears spring into her eyes. "Please don't! Please.. I'll scream!" She pleaded, trying to catch a glimpse of his eyes over her shoulder to gauge his intention. No matter her threat, she knew there was little chance of anyone coming to her rescue. Muggings, _rapes_ , even murder were all too common in the slums and people knew to mind their own business.

"Come along now." he ordered, and then began to drag her by her wrist towards the exit. Aeris tried to dig her heels into the ground but it was no use. She might as well have been trying to stop a train. "Stop, let go of me!" Aeris banged her fist against his cloak covered back in desperation. The stranger cast her a disdainful glare.

"I'd advice you not to try my patience." The threat was clear in his voice. Then he continued outside, into the fading sunlight, dragging her along like she was a child's toy on a string. Aeris recognized the path he was taking with some confusion. He was moving away from ShinRa headquarters. _Away from Midgar_. Aeris struggled to keep up with his long, determined stride. "Where are you taking me?" She asked his back, stumbling over piles of rubble that didn't seem to slow him down at all.

No answer.

"You can't go this way!" Aeris struggled weakly against his grasp. "It's almost nightfall, all the monsters will be coming out to hunt."

A bitter chuckle reached her ears. "Leave the monsters to me."

He continued marching all the way through the winding paths between piled up junk, and showed no signs of stopping as they reached the edge of the city, opening up to dark open plains. "I want to go home," Aeris wailed miserably. The grueling pace was starting to take it's toll on her, and the rustling shadows in the woods frightened her. A flock of birds took flight nearby, screeching in fright. Aeris pressed herself closer to her abductor for safety, and felt his back stiffen in response.

"We'll make camp soon" he said gruffly.

Aeris didn't bother answering. Out here without a weapon of any kind she was at his mercy.

After what felt like hours of marching her companion finally found a spot to his liking close to a small babbling brook, sheltered from the wind by some boulders. "Stay here. I'm going to gather up some firewood." He told her, then set out into the darkness. Aeris watched his back as long as she could make him out in the dark woods, then sat against a boulder, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms around them for warmth. She stared at the ground in front of her dejectedly. Though she felt like crying the tears simply wouldn't come.

Quite some time passed waiting for her abductor's return and listening to the noises of the woods around her for signs of danger. Aeris tried to make herself as small and unnoticeable as possible.

She felt a wave of relief when she finally heard approaching footsteps. She looked up to see the now familiar face. The man arranged his wood and kindling expertly and started a fire for much needed light and warmth. He then dropped his meager possessions in a worn out travelling bag and began to set up a tent. A single tent, Aeris noted with discomfort. This person didn't seem the gentlemanly type judging by the way he'd been manhandling her all afternoon, either ignoring her protests or answering in short, clipped sentences.

She dreaded having to spend the night sleeping on the ground, but it didn't look like she'd have a choice. Once her captor finished setting up the tent he dug out a sleeping mat and a blanket and put both inside, settling then to sit by the fire, staring into the flames. He looked so lost in thought Aeris almost believed he'd forgotten about her until he suddenly spoke up, keeping his eyes on the flames. "There are some dried rations in my backpack if you're hungry."

Aeris looked up in surprise then scurried over to the bag. She dug out some jerky and dried fruit and sat closer to the fire to eat. It wasn't a meal for the ages, but right now anything that filled her growling stomach felt heavenly. As she ate, she looked over at her companion. "What's your name anyway?"

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it does! I can't just keep calling you mister." Or creep, Aeris added in her thoughts.

Some more awkward silence. Aeris shrugged and continued to finish her meal.

"Sephiroth."

Startled, she lifted her head. He'd turned his eery green eyes at her. They really were quite stunning, the color of the lifestream itself. Finally, it registered in her brain he'd told her something. "Huh?"

The man turned his head away, a flicker of annoyance passing on his features. "Sephiroth. It's my name."

"No last name?"

Sephiroth then gave her a look that told her in no uncertain terms to drop this line of questioning. "No. It's just Sephiroth."

They sat by the fire a while in silence. Aeris was enjoying the fire's warmth and the starlit night sky, but after the day she'd had her eyes soon started to droop closed. She yawned.

"You can take the tent for the night. I'll keep watch." Sephiroth told her, again avoiding looking at her, as if he was bored of her presence.

"But I thought.." Aeris glanced at the tent hopefully.

"Do you want to sleep on the ground then?" Sephiroth snapped.

"N-No.." Aeris turned and quickly made her way to the tent that had never looked more inviting. Before entering, she turned back to look at Sephiroth. There was something haunting in his expession and Aeris felt an odd moment of pity for him. "Umm," Aeris stammered and Sephiroth glanced at her, all traces of emotion instantly vanishing from his face. He looked at her expentantly. "Umm, thank you. For the tent and the food I mean." She managed to tell him. Sephiroth didn't answer, merely turned his head away again. Deciding he was done talking for the night Aeris crawled into the tent, wrapping his flimsy blanket around herself for warmth. It smelled like him, she realized just as she drifted into sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2.

Morning came faster than Aeris would have liked, but since she woke up to the smell of something cooking, her stomach forced her out of bed. As she crawled out of the tent she noticed chunks of monster meat slowly cooking on sticks strategically placed over the fire. Looking around, it didn't take long to spot Sephiroth kneeling by the brook splashing water on his face. Next to him was a canteen which Aeris assumed was freshly filled.

He hadn't noticed her yet or simply wasn't interested, too engrossed in his morning routine. He was also shirtless, having discarded his cloak on a nearby boulder. Aeris tried not to stare, but he was far too distracting for his own good. Sephiroth somehow seemed to have sensed her interest since he gave her a dirty look that somehow managed to be both accusing and superior. Aeris couldn't help blushing having been caught redhanded. Bastard. Though to be fair, she supposed he couldn't help the way he looked. Too bad his social skills were absolutely atrocius. All he seemed to know how to do was bark orders and intimidate.

"The food's almost ready" He told her as he raised himself to his feet, grabbing his canteen and placing it in his bag. Aeris eyed the chunks of meat with suspicion. They were blue. Blue! And he'd apparently used some berries and herbs to spice them. "What are they?"

"Just some elfadunks I came across. Dig in, I plan to reach Kalm before nightfall and it's almost a full days hike. We should be able to make it if we pick up the pace."

Aeris thought back to the day before, and her almost running as he tugged her along. She groaned. Her muscles were still sore. This is what I get for not excercising enough I guess, Aeris sighed in resignation, then reached for one of the sticks and took a tentative bite. It wasn't Elmyra's cooking but she was surprised to find it wasn't half bad. Sephiroth sat across from her and did the same. Aeris watched him eat a moment. He was surprisingly neat about it. She'd assumed he'd tear into the meat like a starved bandersnatch. "I do have table manners, you know" Sephiroth told her haughtily, as if he'd guessed her thoughts.

Aeris fumed at him silently as she ate. Double bastard. "So when do we leave?"

"Soon." Sephiroth answered with an annoying little smirk on his lips. "So I suggest you take care of your business now."

"Huh?" Aeris looked at him in confusion.

"Not too bright are you." His expression was deadpan. "Do I really need to spell it out for you? I don't intend to make anymore bathroom breaks during the hike than are absolutely necessary. We can cut time that way."

Aeris blushed. "Do you have to be so blunt about it?"

"Women don't have bladders or shit? I'm terribly sorry for my mistake."

He didn't look sorry in the slightest. Aeris couldn't believe she was having this conversation with him at breakfast. She was also quite sure her complexion was beet coloured at this point. Sephiroth on the other hand didn't seem the least bit bothered. Aeris supposed as a SOLDIER he was probably more used to dealing with subordinates and other officers, not flowergirls. Fighters usually were a bit rough around the edges.

"You were in SOLDIER, right?"

Sephiroth glared at her briefly, then went back to eating. Aeris took his strange reaction as confirmation, and foolishly babbled on. "I could tell because of your eyes. That Mako glow."

Sephiroth's lips curled into a sneer. "Did you now? I wonder what you do for a living?"

Aeris smiled, oblivious to his darkening mood. "Oh, I'm just a simple flowergirl. Although it's really just for pocket money, it's really my mom's pension that keeps the lights on." She confessed with a nervous laugh. "I feel a bit guilty about it actually."

"Perhaps you should work harder then."

Aeris was puzzled by the nasty look Sephiroth gave her, but then he'd finished his meal and stood. "I'm going to pack up the camp and get rid of the fire. You have fifteen minutes." Then he marched over to the tent, muscles tense, obviously agitated about something. Aeris watched him go and put away her own stick in the remains of the fire. She was getting used to his mood swings, but at the same time he confused her more than anyone she'd ever known. Most of the the time she couldn't tell at all what was going through his head.

Aeris wandered into the woods a small ways off, hoping she wouldn't run into any of her meals angry siblings, leaving Sephiroth to kick over the fire and put out any remaining embers. When she finally found him again, he was standing a small ways off the camp, arms crossed and tapping his foot in agitation. "Took you long enough." Sephiroth told her, then immediatly grabbed her wrist again and started dragging her along.

"You don't have to drag me, you know, where am I gonna go in the middle of the plains with no weapon for protection?" Aeris chided his back, silver hair swishing from side to side with his movements.

"You're saying you'll be causing more delays for me in Kalm then. You can forget it. I'll just find you and I won't be happy."

 _When are you ever,_ Aeris thought. "That's not what I meant.." She denied though she had to admit to herself the thought had crossed her mind. It was a long shot but she might be able to lose her scary companion in a crowd. If she was lucky. But Sephiroth would probably burn every single house down until he found her, she sighed. "I meant that we can walk side to side and talk. You know, like people do."

The look Sephiroth gave her was nothing short of incredulous. "Why?"

Aeris shook her head in exasperation. "Never mind, I give up. Your way it is."

"Good."

"Where are you in such a hurry anyway? Got a wedding to go to? A funeral?" Perhaps kidnapping was the only way he could get someone to go with him. His behaviour certainly supported her theory. Aeris thought it was a reasonable enough question, but Sephiroth's reaction took her completely by surprise. He laughed, nearly doubling over with hysterics. But it was a terrible, bitter and ugly sound that had absolutely no joy in it. What on earth did she say?

" _You could say it's both._." He finally spoke as his laughter died down, and the tone of his voice was chilling. Aeris didn't know what to say to that so she just stared at the back of his head, trying to figure out what in the Planet's name was going on in there.

They made good progress until noon when Sephiroth finally decided to stop for a short break in the shade of some trees. Aeris nearly collapsed from exhaustion, panting. Sephiroth passed her the water canteen and she drank greedily. It was a warm day and the sun was really beating down on both of them, but Sephiroth didn't seem too bothered by it.

"Why isn't this killing you? Why can't you be dead on your feet like me?" Aeris asked him breathlessly as she handed him back the canteen. Sephiroth's expression could have passed for sympathy, a brief softening of his eyes. Then he took a gulp of water himself and put the canteen away again.

"Come on, let's move out. There's still a long ways to go." He tugged on her wrist again but Aeris resisted. "Please not yet. Just a little longer." Every muscle in her body ached.

Sephiroth's expression hardened. "Now. I don't have time for your antics." He tugged again.

Aeris was close to tears from sheer exhaustion. "I can't, I can't.." And she fell bonelessly on her knees.

"Is this all you've got? You're worthless! A weakling! Killing you would be doing you a favour!" Sephiroth hissed venomously, his eyes blazing with hatred.

Aeris was sobbing uncontrollably at his feet until suddenly she raised her head to stare up at him, tears running down her cheeks but rage in her eyes. "I hate you! I hate you! Why do you treat me this way!? What did I ever do to you!? Can't you see I'm trying my best!?" She screamed at him. When she could see through her tears again she saw something on Sephiroth's face she'd never seen before, he seemed to have come to some horrifying conclusion. He let go of her wrist and stared at the ground for a moment, his face hidden behind a veil of silver.

Aeris hiccupped and rubbed the tears from her eyes.

When Sephiroth finally spoke, his voice was quiet. "..All right then. I'll carry you." He leant down to reach for Aeris but she scrambled back in fear. Sephiroth sighed, looking oddly defeated. He ran an errant hand through his hair, pausing briefly on his temples like he was suffering from a headache.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of that."

Aeris said nothing, but allowed him to gather her in his arms.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3.

Aeris was stiff and uncomfortable in Sephiroths arms as they travelled in silence. She didn't want to talk to him, didn't even want to look at him. But she couldn't stay by herself in the middle of nowhere so this discomfort had to be tolerated. She didn't know what she was going to do once they reached Kalm, but she knew she had to at least try to escape, even at the risk of provoking Sephiroth's ire. However, as much as she tried to stay positive of her chances, she knew they weren't great. She didn't have any contacts in Kalm, had never even been there, she had no money, nothing but the clothes on her back. And Sephiroth was clearly very determined to take her somewhere, wherever he was headed.

Sephiroth sighed deeply. "Aeris.." Then he shook his head and fell silent again.

"We're almost there, you can just make out Kalm in the horizon." He said quietly. Aeris turned her head and sure enough, there was a small dot in the direction they were walking, growing larger as they progressed. Aeris was overjoyed. Not only because it meant a reprieve from this awkward journey, but also a chance to bathe, wash her clothes and have a decent meal. Not to mention a good night's rest in a proper bed.

Sephiroth took note of the smile on her face and scowled, turning his head away from the sight. "If you think you'll be rid of me that easily, you're sorely mistaken."

Aeris took note of his sour expression. "I'm just glad to be out of the woods."

"Hmpf. We'll be staying at the local inn. I expect you to stay there while I stock up on some supplies."

Aeris blushed as a thought occurred to her. She might herself be in need of some supplies. With not a gil to her name she'd have to rely on the kindness of Sephiroth. "Umm, I'd rather go shopping with you, if that's all right."

Sephiroth looked at her with surprise.

Aeris fidgeted in his arms. "I just meant, I'm gonna need some.. things.. for myself."

"Fine. Write a list and I'll bring what I can find."

"I'd really rather just pick stuff out for myself if you can give me the gil for it."

Sephiroth studied her face with suspicion. "Why, so you can run away?"

"Urgh, Sephiroth, how can you be so dense! I need girl stuff, I don't think you want to be buying those items anyway."

Sephiroth blinked. "Oh. Well, I suppose that's OK then."

Aeris studied his face. Was that a faint blush on his cheeks? Couldn't be.

Sephiroth cleared his throat. "We'll get the shopping done first, then you can retire to your room. However, you'll join me for breakfast in the morning. We'll discuss the next course of action then."

Aeris nearly rolled her eyes at him. Would it kill him to talk like a human being instead of a commanding officer for a change?

The rest of the journey took the better part of two hours, which was spent in silence. The pair arrived in Kalm close to nightfall, and Sephiroth let Aeris back on her feet. He did, however, grab her wrist again and dragged her along to the inn to make their reservations. There Aeris discovered to her horror that only one room remained, meaning she would have to share it with Sephiroth. Thankfully there were two beds, but still. Sephiroth seemed a little uncomfortable too, which perplexed Aeris. Sleeping in close quarters hadn't been an issue the night before..

After paying for their room they set out into town. Sephiroth figured from now on they would be facing monsters more often, so it would make sense to buy Aeris a weapon and some basic materia. He also bought her a tent and a backpack of her own for some potions, supplies and extra rations. Aeris herself bought a change of clothes, toiletries and a hair brush. She kept sneaking glances at Sephiroth, but it was like he had eyes in the back of his head and kept a close watch on her during the whole shopping spree.

After paying for everything, Sephiroth again dragged her back to the Inn, just so he wouldn't lose sight of her in the crowd. Aeris felt humiliated as she noticed some of the villagers giving them looks, not just because of their odd appearance compared to the local fashions, but because of the caveman like behaviour Sephiroth was displaying. She was almost relieved when they finally entered their room and were alone and away from prying eyes.

Aeris checked out their room, it wasn't too big, but it would do. There was a small en suite bathroom with a tub that looked heavenly to her sore muscles. Just to spite Sephiroth she intended to use most if not all of their hot water. _He deserves it for being such a_ _jerk_ , Aeris grumbled, watching him lay down their shopping next to the writing desk at the back of the room.

"You may bathe first if you wish." He told her, standing ramrod straight by the only window in the room, gazing out into the town square. Again Aeris was struck by how out of place he looked in the homely decor with flower print wallpaper and lacy curtains.

"I think I will." She replied, making her way inside the bathroom and making sure to lock the door behind her. Not that it would stop Sephiroth of course. The small space had a single window which Aeris eargerly inspected – they were on the second floor but perhaps she could make the fall without breaking or spraining anything. But could she risk it? If only there was something underneath the window to break her fall..

When Aeris emerged from the bathroom dressed only in an inn provided towel wrapped around herself, she found Sephiroth in the same position she'd left him, staring out the window. He glanced at her then looked quickly away, embarrassed. He cleared his throat. "Your new clothes are on your bed. I took the liberty of preparing our backpacks for the next leg of the journey."

Aeris saw her blouse and pants on the bed on the other side of the room, along with one of the shopping bags she recognized as containing her new underwear. She hoped Sephiroth hadn't gone through them. Probably not, seeing as they we're still in their original bag.. "OK, I'll just change real quick.."

Sephiroth nodded.

After changing and fetching her hand-washed dress and jacket to hang on the back of a chair to dry, she turned to let Sephiroth know the bathroom was free. He nodded and trudged along inside. He seemed tired. No wonder, it looked pitch black outside, nothing but starlight illuminating the town square. She pushed back the covers on the bed and settled under them, squirming to get comfortable. Water in the bathroom was running. Aeris tried very hard not to picture Sephiroth bathing. She wondered if he had a change of clothes, she'd never seen him in anything but his intimidating uniform.

When he did emerge from the bathroom he was dressed in nothing but a towel loosely wrapped around his hips, silver hair dripping wet. Aeris squeezed her eyes shut and pretended to be asleep. She could hear him rummaging around in his backpack, then some fabric rustling. Finally, she heard him sit down on his bed with a heavy sigh. Deciding it was safe, she sneeked a peek at him.

He was sitting on his bed with his head in his hands, dressed in a loose fitting dark grey t-shirt and black slacks. Out of his battlegear, he looked almost.. normal. Aeris noted he'd neatly folded his cloak and pants and placed them on a chest at the foot of his bed, along with his shoulder guards and sword. It all looked very.. military barracks. Neat and organized.

She also couldn't help noticing the black number one tattoo on the back of his hand. Strange.

"Are you OK?"

Startled, Sephiroth sat up straight and attempted to glare at her, but somehow it didn't have it's usual effect. In his sleep-wear he appeared almost.. boyish. "I.. have a headache." He told her in a rough voice. He looked exhausted.

"Perhaps you should get some sleep then."

"..In a minute. But you go ahead, don't let me keep you up."

"All right then.. Goodnight, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth offered her a feeble almost-smile. "Goodnight."

Aeris was already half asleep when she heard him pad across the room to turn off the lights, enveloping the room in darkness. Then some rustling as he too, settled to sleep. With sleepy eyes she saw the outline of his back where he'd curled towards the wall, blanket pulled up to his shoulders. Some silver tendrils of hair had tumbled to the floor, still wet. Aeris' last drowzy thought before falling asleep was that it would be interesting to see what kind of bed-head he had in the morning.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4.

Aeris awoke to rays of sunlight streaming in through the window. She yawned and stretched under the covers, feeling refreshed, if hungry. Sephiroth had promised her breakfast though, and Aeris had no intention of being a lady about it. She was going to stuff her face till she burst. Who knew when her next meal would be, best make this one count.

Speaking of the man in question.. He was still fast asleep, having turned on his back sometime during the night. Aeris reached into her backpack, pulled out her hairbrush and became engrossed in sorting out the tangles in her chestnut curls.

She observed Sephiroth, jaw slack and features relaxed instead of drawn in his customary scowl. He didn't look like his usual scary self, but instead rather vulnerable and young in his unconscious state. It was difficult to believe someone with such delicate, fine features could be such a deadly swordsman. He really was quite striking, Aeris thought, girls must chase after him all the time. Or at least until his personality turned them away – either in fright or disgust.

Had he always been such a terrible person? Aeris found that hard to believe, especially since on occasion she saw glimpses of someone half decent under the malevolent veneer. Why then? Did he want people to fear him, or was it something else? She didn't have long to think of answers, as Sephiroth stirred and slowly opened his eyes.

"Good morning" Aeris told him politely.

Sephiroth jolted awake and sat up, seeming a bit embarrassed he'd been caught unawares. He ran a hand through his hair which did, to Aeris' amusement, look like he'd walked through a hurricane. Finally he turned to her. She was sitting indian style on her bed, hair newly braided. "Morning.. What time is it?"

"Almost noon, judging by the sun."

Sephiroth cursed under his breath, one slender fingered hand covering half his face. He set his bare feet on the floor, then started sorting out his hair with his fingers.

Aeris rolled her eyes. "Here, you can borrow mine." She took her brush and held it out for him.

Sephiroth grabbed it, looking simultaneously abashed and annoyed. "Thanks.." He mumbled.

Aeris continued on towards the bathroom, leaving Sephiroth to his brushing. When she returned, he'd changed back into his uniform, familiar scowl back on his face. He's probably annoyed with himself for all the time he 'wasted' sleeping, Aeris figured, no matter how sorely he might have needed it.

"Shall we go to breakfast then?" Aeris asked. "Though it's more like brunch now, I suppose.."

"Yes. Let me just freshen up first. You should pack your clothes in the meantime, they appear to have dried. Here's your brush." Sephiroth held out the object in question without looking at her. As Aeris went to grab for it, their fingers briefly met. Sephiroth visibly recoiled at the contact, then hastily stood up and marched past her, disappearing behind the bathroom door. Aeris shook her head at his odd behaviour, then went to pack away her dress and jacket which had indeed dried during the night.

After a walk down the stairs that led to the reception area the pair proceeded into the dining room – it was a rather small intimate space with few tables. Apart from an elderly woman sipping her tea as she read the newspaper they appeared to be the only patrons there. Aeris sighed in relief Sephiroth hadn't dragged her in this time, but rather trailed after her as she chose a table by a window overlooking a garden. They picked up their menus and placed their orders. As they waited for food to arrive, Aeris admired the flowers outside. They reminded her of home.. The thought was slightly depressing.

"Aeris?" Sephiroth cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Hmm?"

Sephiroth sat back in his chair, a determined look on his face. "There's something I must yet do while we're in town.. I had hoped to get to it earlier, but alas.." He grumbled.

Here we go again, Aeris sighed. "What is it?"

"We're in need of a faster mode of transportation. There's a stable in town that sells chocobos. That's our next stop."

"Chocobos?" Aeris blinked. "I can't ride one!"

Sephiroth smirked. "You won't have to. One will suffice."

Aeris swallowed, slightly paled at the thought of having to cling to him for dear life as they sped across the plains on one of the giant birds. "Oh.. that's.. nice."

"You'll like them, they're quite docile creatures." Sephiroth assured her.

Aeris still raised a doubtful eyebrow at him.

Just then their food started arriving, eggs and toast, pancakes with syrup, steaming hot cups of coffee, even some local delicacies. Sephiroth took his coffee black, no sugar. Of course, Aeris rolled her eyes at him. Her own was mixed with caramel and cream. They ate in silence, and Aeris observed that yes, Sephiroth did indeed have table manners.

After their meal, Sephiroth led Aeris through the streets and past the busy marketplace towards the edge of the town. Aeris was too busy taking in the sights and sounds of the busy little town to think about breaking free of her captor, whose grip on her was thankfully a bit less brutish today. Aeris chalked it down to Sephiroth being preccupied with other things, most likely how to make up the time he lost by oversleeping.

Aeris groaned. That was likely to mean unpleasant things for her.

Finally they reached the cheery red barn they were looking for. Above it's huge double front doors was a sign adverticing "Pedigree chocobos for sale, only from the finest breeders", with a cartoon depiction of a winking chocobo. On the side of the double doors was the main entrance to the offices, with a chocobo foot logo over "Wanda's and Will's Chocobo Emporium". Sephiroth surprised Aeris by holding the door open for her, until she realized it was probably because he wanted to keep her in his sight. So much for being a gentleman, she grumbled.

As they entered they discovered a wide corridor lined on both sides with booths of merchants selling various chocobo related items: lure materia, bridles and reins in many styles, greens, there was even a salesman for chocobo-drawn wagons. Not to mention other paraphinelia from greeting cards to jewellery.

"Come along." Sephiroth whispered in her ear from behind as she stopped to take it all in. To her shock he layed an arm on the small of her back and guided her past the other customers.

"I never knew chocobos were such a huge business." Aeris told him. Sephiroth's hand lingered on her waist, she could feel his heat. It was very distracting. Aeris resisted the urge to squirm away from his touch and concentrated on his voice instead as he answered.

"It's mostly due to the popularity of chocobo racing. The championships held at Gold Saucer are televised worldwide, I believe."

Aeris did remember seeing snippets of such races but had never taken much of a personal interest: in the slums racing was associated with gambling, the mob and loansharks, all things she wanted nothing to do with.

"This way" Sephiroth instructed and finally stepped away from her, holding open a door with the words "Manager's Office" carved into it. As she passed him by to get in, Aeris caught a whiff of Sephiroth's scent, which she regrettably recognized at this point. Something soapy clean and very male. What's wrong with you, stupid hormones, Aeris chastised her brain. _You hate him. HATE him._

"Are you alright, you look a bit flushed?" Sephiroth asked her, and for a mortifying second Aeris thought he'd done his mind-reading trick again. But his expression was only inquisitive.

"I'm fine." Aeris insisted. "Let's get this over with."

Sephiroth shrugged. "As you wish.. One of the two owners should be in."

It took them no time to locate a rather small woman in her fourties, Aeris assumed she was Wanda. As Sephiroth shook hands with her and inquired about purchasing a chocobo for them, Aeris wandered about the room, feeling if not seeing Sephiroth's eyes on her from time to time. He was probably expecting her to bolt at any second. His paranoia was really putting a dampener on her escape plans. If she was to succeed in running from him, she would need to lull him into a false sense of security, get him to trust her, so that he would drop his guard a bit.

But how could she possibly accomplish that? Aeris watched Sephiroth who appeared to be discussing the kind of chocobo they'd require: apparently it being a fast runner was top priority. Great, Aeris frowned, I can feel the motion sickness already. Now how to get him to trust her? She concluded she simply didn't know him well enough to pin point any pressure points or weaknesses. Aeris reluctantly concluded she would simply have to talk to him more. What a joy that was going to be, what with Sephiroth being such a conversationalist.

"Aeris." Sephiroth broke her out of her reverie. "We're going to see the potentials. I'd like you to join me."

Aeris took that as an order and dutifully followed Wanda and Sephiroth into the stables, where she was immediatly hit by smell of chocobo and a chorus of warks. Wanda presented Sephiroth with multiple chocobos, and he listened attentively to the strengths and weaknesses of each. In the end his eyes were drawn to a black female named Freya – Aeris rolled her eyes behind his back. Sephiroth could be so predictable sometimes.

"Don't mock me. This one happens to be the fastest runner which is exactly what we need. My choice is based on rational reasons alone."

"If you say so." Aeris smiled innocently. Sephiroth frowned and petted his new purchase's long neck before returning to the office with Aeris in tow to sign paperwork and to make arrangements for bridles and reins, greens, saddlebags and other supplies they might need.

Wanda and her assistant scurried to gather all the items they bought leaving Sephiroth and Aeris alone in the office. "Soo.. Are you going to tell me where we'll be headed next?"

"Mythril mines. To get there we'll have to cross the marshes. Problems might arise.."

"Problems?" Aeris squeked.

Sephiroth's lips curled into a confident smirk. "You might see something interesting. And I could certainly use the excercise.."

Aeris did not like the sound of that.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5.

"Get on." Sephiroth ordered. Aeris looked at Freya, their new black chocobo that was kneeling obediently for it's passangers to get on. After detouring back to the inn for their belongings and packing them on the chocobo they were now officially good to go.

"It's not just going to bolt and leave me in it's dust on my backside, right?"

"I'm sure your backside will be fine." Sephiroth smirked. Aeris gave him one exasperated glance and then awkwardly settled herself at the front of the bird. Sephiroth deftly climbed up behind her, holding the reins.

The chocobo rose to it's feet at Sephiroth's command. He then maneuvered the bird through narrow streets between buildings towards the outer limits of the town. Aeris sat against Sephiroth's chest, encircled by his arms, trying to adjust the the chocobo's trot.

She glanced at the cloudy sky that was beginning to turn into shades of yellow, orange and pink, rays of the setting sun colouring the whole landscape. As they exited the town gates Sephiroth encouraged the chocobo to into a speedier run, making Aeris lean back against his chest. She noticed the top of her head came to just under his chin, making her feel very small in comparison.

"Do you think we'll reach the marshes before nightfall?"

Sephiroth met her gaze from the corner of his eye. "No. I wouldn't venture there in the dark. But we'll get close, set up camp there."

Aeris bit her lip in thought for a while. "Earlier when you said there could be trouble, what were you talking about?"

"Ever heard of the Midgar Zolom?"

Aeris gasped and stared up at Sephiroth eyes wide. "I thought those were a myth!"

Sephiroth chuckled darkly. "Don't worry about it. I've faced them before. If one bothers us, I'll take care of it."

"Well, thanks for the nightmares! I hope you don't plan on setting camp at the edge of the marsh."

"Not quite that close, no" Sephiroth's green eyes glowed with mirth.

As darkness began to descend Aeris could barely make out the landscape. Away from city lights darkness could be so intense. The night sky looked incredible though. Millions of stars twinkling like little diamonds. Sephiroth remained focused on the path ahead, guiding the racing chocobo with a sense of purpose, like he knew where he was going.

"How can you even see anything?" Aeris asked him. She'd wondered about that ever since their first night camping, when he searched for firewood in the darkness. As soon as she asked she felt Sephiroth tense behind her, skip a breath then sigh.

"My nightvision is.. enhanced.. above the normal register." He answered in a strained voice.

"Because of the Mako?" Aeris inquired, genuinely curious now that he was actually having a conversation with her. "SOLDIER's have extra abilities because of it right?"

Sephiroth's jaw clenched a few times, something dark passing in his expression. "Not like mine. I'm.. different."

"What do you mean?"

For the longest time Aeris thought Sephiroth wouldn't answer at all, she could feel the tension radiating from him. What wasn't he telling her? The eery glow of his eyes was more pronounced in the dark. Like fluorescence. Or the nightlights she used to have in her room as a little kid, Aeris thought with a smile.

Finally, Sephiroth let out a let out a deep breath and continued. "I was intended for SOLDIER before birth. Perhaps even before conception.. It was my fate, my destiny, my curse. While most troopers are introduced to Mako as they enter the service, I was introduced to it before birth.. it and.. other things."

Aeris shook her head in confusion. "I don't understand. Who would do such a thing?"

A bitter laugh. "Yes, I don't think you ever had the.. pleasure.. of meeting him."

"Huh?"

Sephiroth glanced down at her innocently curious face. "Hmpf. Ever wondered why ShinRa wanted you?"

Aeris frowned. "When I was a little kid.. They sent people over to my mom's house to talk to me. They said they just wanted to ask some questions. About.. about the Ancients. But I always sensed there was more to it. When they asked me to co-operate, I had a bad feeling. There was always something.. hungry and dark in their eyes."

"Very intuitive of you." Sephiroth said, genuinely impressed. He wiped the look off his face quickly though, eyes focused on the path again. "Indeed, had you gone with them, willingly or not.. Your fate might have mirrored mine.. in a way."

Aeris gasped with horror. "They would've injected me with Mako!?"

Sephiroth cast his eyes back down at her, a look of pity on his face. But it wasn't condescending. "Perhaps that too.. Sometimes.. it's best not to know certain truths. They set you down along paths you can't turn away from.. they must be travelled to the end."

"Like the one you're on?"

"..Yes." Sephiroth answered, a kind of haunting sadness in his eyes. After that he fell silent, lost in his thoughts. Aeris burrowed closer to his chest for warmth, she could hear the steady thumping of his heart. Suddenly she understood the strange pitying feeling she'd felt as she watched him staring into the flames of their campfire. Whether he knew it or not, Aeris feared he was marching to his death.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6.

Morning found Aeris curled up in an uncomfortable position in her tent. The uneven ground she'd pitched her tent on had left her feeling sore and longing for the comfy bed she'd had in Kalm. Yawning she climbed out of her tent, and was immediatly greeted by a cheery "Wark!" from Freya, who had been hitched by her reins to a tree. Sephiroth had obviously left some greens for it because it was pecking the ground now and then.

So he'd been up since the crack of dawn as usual then, Aeris smiled. Their campfire was crackling merrily, some monster meat (purple this time) roasting away, spaced on sticks with some fresh vegetables. Aeris' mouth watered. Sephiroth's tent was empty and he was nowhere in sight. But he couldn't be far since all their stuff was still at the camp.

Aeris yawned and stretched her lithe form, then took a gulp of water from her canteen. It was a lovely if foggy morning, the grass wet with dew under her bare feet. She padded over to her backpack and was just about to pull out her hairbrush when she noticed Sephiroth, marching angrily back to camp sword in hand. But that wasn't what caught her attention – she was used to his mercurial temper – it was that he was bleeding. Quite profusely. It was running down alongside his face, staining strands of his silvery hair red.

"Sephiroth!" Aeris gasped watching his approach. For all the battles they'd encountered, Sephiroth hadn't even gotten a scratch. He scowled at her as he walked right past her towards his tent. "What happened!?"

He cast her an annoyed look. "Nothing." He muttered angrily and dug up a cloth from his backpack, sat down with his back turned to her and began cleaning the long blade of his weapon. "I got careless that's all. It won't happen again."

Aeris inched closer to him, worry creasing her brow. She reached out to touch his shoulder.

Sephiroth batted her hand away as though it had burned him. "Don't touch me." He'd wiped away all the dried blood and now reached for a small vial containing oil of some sort. He seemed utterly focused on his task like he wasn't injured at all.

Aeris took a few steps back, gazing at him with concern. She wondered if he had ever sought the council or comfort of others when distressed, or was this how it always was for him? Fleeing into isolation? Aeris shook her head, wondering just how he had come to be so messed up.

"And spare me your false concern." He sneered at her over his shoulder, nothing but contempt and hatred burning in his eyes. "I know you can't wait to be rid of me."

Aeris continued to watch in silence as blood trickled down the side of his face. She knew wounds like this often looked worse than they were since few things bled as easily as the scalp. But any rational person would have at least tried to tend to it. She'd never met someone so full of rage, but at the same time.. The look he'd had in his eyes last night as they rode through the darkness had been so haunting, so full of grief, like he was mourning for someone. Himself perhaps.

Aeris wondered just how much of his frightful veneer was just a shell he'd built around himself.

"Please, at least let me cast cure on you."

"I heal fast, it's fine." Sephiroth answered angrily, inspecting the outcome of his work, turning his blade this way and that. Satisfied with the results he sheathed it.

"Let me clean the blood off you then, there's still water in my canteen, I can-"

"Stop. Fussing." He growled, muscles in his back tensing. Aeris sensed this was her que to retreat, so she walked to the fire, watching his back that was nearly shaking with fury.

Aeris had a feeling his rage wasn't so much directed at her than it was at himself. She felt completely helpless as to how to aid him though. Any attempt at comforting him would be rejected, perhaps even violently, she was sure of it. Best to let him deal with it on his own.

Aeris took all four sticks that made up their meal off of the fire before they burnt to a crisp and set then down on a clean cloth on a rock. She considered calling to Sephiroth to join her at their makeshift dinnertable, but decided against it. She couldn't help but feel a little down that the closeness she'd shared with him the night before seemed to have evaporated like smoke into the wind. Sighing, she felt her apetite had vanished with it too, so she wrapped the sticks in the cloth and put them in her backpack. They would propably still be edible later.

Just then Sephiroth stood up and started taking down his tent. "Aeris. We're leaving. Now."

Back to barking orders then. Aeris rose to her feet and started taking down her tent as well. Working in unison, especially with Sephiroth's anger fueling him, they were packed and ready to continue in no time. Sephiroth waited impatiently by Freya for Aeris to get on, which she did, warily trying to catch his eyes – but he was too busy scowling at the scenery.

Sephiroth climbed behind her and commanded Freya to dash into the marshes. As they rushed forward Aeris could feel the tension oozing from his body. On many occasion she tried to find a way to start a conversation but her mind was drawing a blank how to do it.

"Why don't you just ask it." Sephiroth suddenly spoke, his eyes ahead, his voice gruff.

Aeris wondered if she should get into this with him while he was in such a terrible mood, but at the end of the day she was too desperate to mend things between them. "What happened out there Sephiroth? Were you attacked?"

"What do you think? I stabbed myself in my own head?"

Aeris ignored his mocking tone. At least he was talking to her. "Why did you go out there anyway? There were no monsters near the camp."

Sephiroth was grinding his teeth again, perhaps he was fighting against some nasty remark on his mind. "I felt like blowing off some steam."

"Because of last night?"

Sephiroth scoffed at that. "Don't flatter yourself."

Aeris sighed. That was it then. He'd been open with her for a brief moment and instantly afterwards the shutters dropped and he was pushing her away again. Getting to know him felt a bit like poking an open wound. For every revelation this would be the price to pay. She could only hope his lousy mood would improve as they made progress.

The pair travelled in silence until they were almost at the entrance to the mines. "We'll continue on foot from-" Sephiroth suddenly fell silent, scanning the surroundings with an alert look on his face. Even Freya seemed agitated, the feathers on its head and neck ruffled and raised. "What is it?" Aeris asked, but Sephiroth didn't have time to answer as a huge snake-like monster rose from the depths of the marsh, towering over them to the point that Aeris had to tilt her head all the way back to see the enormous head above. "..Sephiroth?" Aeris' voice was barely a whisper.

"Take Freya to the mines." Sephiroth told her, never taking his eyes off the snake, which Aeris assumed was the mythical Midgar Zolom.

"But.." Aeris desperately wanted to cling to him, not run and draw attention to herself.

"NOW Aeris! I'll give it something to chew on.." The tone of his voice was ominous, and there was a vicious little smirk on his lips. Was he actually enjoying this?

Aeris decided to swallow her fear and accepted Freya's reins – the bird was all too eager to run and was warking in distress. She jumped down on shaky legs, watching as Sephiroth drew his sword and faced the massive creature alone.

"Come on Freya!" Aeris told the bird in a shaky voice, pulling at it's reins. The chocobo didn't need to be told twice. Water splashing beneath her feet Aeris didn't think she'd ever ran as fast as she did then. Horrible wails and hisses echoed all around her, but she was too scared to look behind her. Breathless and panting she finally reached the entrance, pulling Freya safely inside with her.

Aeris squeezed her eyes shut as she pressed her back against a stone wall, trying to catch her breath as what sounded like a battle of titans raged on. Suddenly there was a terrible crunching sound accompanied by what might have been a tree being felled. The following silence was so complete it was eery.

Aeris dared to peek outside, towards she marshes, and saw Sephiroth, calmly walking towards them with his sword sheathed, his long silver mane billowing behind him. His head was slightly bowed, his eyes shadowed by his bangs – but she could still make out the positively evil little smile on his lips. Aeris was torn. On one hand she was happy to see him, that he was unharmed – but his obvious enjoyment of violence troubled her. She'd seen him slay monsters during their travels, of course, but those had been dispatched with a kind of bored indifference.

This was new.

Sephiroth reached her and Freya, acknowledged them with a nod but continued onwards at a leisurely pace, not saying a word. "Come on Freya, guess we're going deeper.." Aeris petted the animal and started after him.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7.

Under normal circumstances Mythril mines would have been a wondrous place for Aeris to explore. Right now her mind was too troubled with Sephiroth's recent behaviour for her to pay attention to her surroundings. She kept eyeing his back warily as he strolled along through the narrow passages of the mine, their combined footsteps echoing off the strangely coloured, luminous rock walls.

Sephiroth's mood had significantly improved after his battle earlier but Aeris had been following him in thoughtful silence. Enough was enough though. Pulling Freya along she picked up her pace until she was walking alongside him. "I thought you weren't talking to me." He commented, referring to his earlier attempts at starting a conversation.

"Why do you like violence so much? Killing?"

Sephiroth shrugged. "It's what I was bred to do."

"You're not a dog, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth glanced at her briefly, casting his eyes down. "I might as well have been."

Aeris accepted this reply for the time being, chewing on her bottom lip. "Umm Sephiroth?"

He turned his head towards her. "Hmm?"

"You said you knew why ShinRa wants to capture me so bad."

A lopsided grin. "I don't believe I said that."

Aeris let her frustration show a bit, stomping her feet as she walked. "You implied it."

"..I suppose I did."

"I'd like to.. I need to know. Why?"

Sephiroth seemed to consider this for a while. "You said they came to your house when you were a kid, correct?"

"..Yes." Aeris furrowed her brow, not quite sure where he was going with this.

"Ever wonder why they didn't just grab you then, kipnap you? Surely a child would have been easier to capture than a grown woman. Yet they pursue you relentlessly now, instead of then." Sephiroth pointed out. "It must mean you're worth more to them as an adult than a child."

"Meaning?"

Sephiroth almost rolled his eyes, but seemed to take pity on her at the last minute. "Hojo" Sephiroth spat out the name like a rotten piece of meat, "the lead scientist at ShinRa, must have intended to use you for breeding."

Aeris sputtered. "W-what? Y-you mean kids?"

This time Sephiroth did roll his eyes at her. "What other kind of breeding is there?"

Aeris couldn't comprehend the idea at all. "With who and why?"

Sephiroth shrugged. "Curiosity for one thing. And most likely it wouldn't be just a who.. but also what."

Aeris could only gape at him. "You mean..?"

"Monsters, mutants.. aliens." Something dark and melancholy passed over Sephiroth's features.

"Why!? How could they do that?"

Sephiroth afforded her another rather sad half-smile. "They're accountable to no-one. And you're a very rare 'specimen'. From a coldly logical point of view, replicating you is worthwhile to them."

Aeris fell into stunned silence as she walked beside him. When she next spoke, her voice was quiet and very young, like that of a child's. "You said my fate would have mirrored yours. Is that what happened to you? Did they use you.. for that?"

Sephiroth's jaw was set in an angry, determined line. "..Among other things." He ran a hand through his hair and laughed bitterly, shoulders slightly shaking. "The.. clones, or whatever you want to call them never turned out right though, I suppose I can take comfort in that." Then his expression darkened into something truly malicious. "I intend to kill every last one of those abominations." His voice was disgusted.

Then Aeris did something unexpected. She threw her arms around him, pressing her face to his chest and hugged him tight. "I'm so, so sorry Sephiroth."

Sephiroth was stunned into silence, frozen in place and _deeply_ uncomfortable. "Not your fault." He mumbled awkwardly, wishing she would just let go of him already. But the woman was like an octopus and he was reluctant to use his strength to push her away.

He cleared his throat and forced some harshness into his voice, "Are you quite done? We need to keep going."

Aeris stepped back abashed, a bit shocked to find her eyes were stinging with unshed tears. "Uh, yes, sorry.. I don't know what came over me."

"Hmpf," Sephiroth waved her off with a dismissive hand. "Stop apologizing. Let's just keep going. If my memory serves me right we should be coming up to a larger chamber with an underground stream. We can spend the night there."

Aeris was glad to hear it. The day had been an emotional rollercoaster and she felt exhausted. Besides, she needed to refill her canteen – an underground current was bound to be cold and refreshing.

After the air had cleared between them, Aeris walked with a new lightness in her step. Even Freya seemed to sense the mood shift – trotting along cheerfully. It took the travellers a few hours of navigating the labyrinthine tunnels of the mine, but they eventually reached what Sephiroth had been talking about. The large, roughly oval shaped chamber did indeed have a large pool of dark, flowing water at its far end wall. The walls were spotted with fosforous blue and green gems in all shades, and they acted as lighting for the space. But what drew Aeris' eyes the most was a huge crystallized Mako pillar. The mark of a Mako fountain. Aeris walked up to it in awe. Sephiroth followed behind her in silence.

"They say these crystals are the origin source of materia." Aeris turned to Sephiroth questioningly.

He nodded. "Yes. They're mined and refined so that even commoners barely skilled in the magic arts can tap into their power. I'm surprised they left this one alone."

"Oh look!" Aeris told him excitedly, grabbing his hand without even thinking about it and pulling him along to the other side of the crystal so he could see. "See? Candles and offerings! Some of the locals must use this place as a shrine!"

"That explains it then.." Sephiroth commented, staring at their joined hands slightly perturbed. Aeris seemed to notice his discomfort at last and let go of his hand, blushing slightly. "Sorry.. I.. didn't think."

Sephiroth crossed his arms with a huff. "I told you to stop apologizing." He turned towards the rest of the space, scanning it for a place to set their sleeping mats. "We can't put up a fire here, even if we had wood and tents are out of the question since there's nowhere to dig in the pegs. But we're sheltered from the elements and it's not too cold in here.. if a little damp."

"It'll do fine. I'll let Freya have a drink from the stream, OK?"

Sephiroth merely nodded and picked a spot to set up his bed for the night.

Aeris left Freya to her own devices by the stream with some greens and returned to Sephiroth to set up her own sleeping mat.

Then she dug out the left over monster meat sticks from her bag and offered Sephiroth his share. He turned them over in his hands for a while.

"Shame to have to eat them cold but it's better than nothing, eh?"

Sephiroth merely nodded, chewing in silence.

Once they'd finished eating Sephiroth layed down on his back, his long legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. Aeris sat facing him indian style, brushing her hair. "So where are we off to tomorrow?"

"Fort Condor."

"I take it that's not our final destination either then?"

"No."

Aeris set down her brush and lay down on her side, pulling her blanket on her. "Are you ever going to tell me what this is all about?"

"Perhaps.."

Aeris sighed and turned on her back also. "You know, I used to dream about this, leaving Midgar, travelling the world, seeing different places.. All I've ever known are the slums. Been there for as long as I can remember. But I suppose I shouldn't complain."

"The world isn't worth seeing. One place is the same as the rest."

Aeris frowned. Sure, Sephiroth was older but not by that much – judging by how jaded and world-weary he sounded you'd think he was as ancient as the stars. "I don't think so.. but then you must've travelled a lot in SOLDIER?"

All she got as an answer was a noncommittal shrug.

"Well I'm determined to make the most of this." In her thoughs she added: _even if I'm stuck with you._

"Given up on your plans to escape? Don't think I'm so easily fooled."

Aeris crossed her arms defensively. "You're not the worst company in the world. When you're not being a total ass, that is."

At that, there was a ghost of a smile on Sephiroth's lips. "Good to know."


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8.

Rain was pouring down from a dark grey sky, the wind howling past the exit to Mythril mines – an opening at the base of the tall mountain. Aeris sat with her back against the wall, Sephiroth standing opposite her with his arms crossed. Seeing the terrible weather outside they'd decided to wait out the storm. That was several hours ago at least, and the rain showed no signs of letting up. Even Freya had given up the thought of continuing their travels anytime soon, having settled down and tucked her beaked head under a wing for a nap.

"Oh man.." Aeris grumbled. "You'd never think something so fluffy, floating in the sky like a cloud could hold so much water.."

Sephiroth smirked, perhaps at some private joke. "Clouds can be deceptive, that way.."

"We're not going to make it to Fort Condor today, are we?" Aeris had been really looking forward to a warm, dry bed and a proper meal. Perhaps even a bath.

Sephiroth stared out into the rain, like he was measuring distance and calculating the hours left in the day. "Unlikely. However, we may have an alternative to camping outside."

"Oh?" Aeris' ears pricked up. Hopefully it wasn't another cave. She'd seen enough for a while, and being stuck in the bowels of a mountain had started to feel claustrophobic.

Sephiroth tilted his head, a faraway look in his eyes. "Before these mines closed, there used to be a thriving village nearby, on the shore, called Surma. I believe it's still there, though a shadow of it's former glory. As the mining jobs went away, so did the miners and their families.. There are just some fisheries there now, a few craftsmen.. A small harbour. I think we might find an inn there."

Aeris clapped her hands together. "Sounds like music to my ears! You sure know a lot about the world!"

Sephiroth shrugged, gazing at the clouds a rather apathetic expression on his face. "Once, it was required. Makes you a better tactician, when you know the pros and cons of all the pieces on the chessboard.."

"You were in charge of strategy at SOLDIER? You must've been pretty high up in the command chain then, huh?"

Sephiroth sighed, shuffling a bit on his feet, long bangs partially hiding his face from view. "I was a general."

Aeris was floored. She'd known from his uniform he must've been at least first class, but she hadn't quite expected that!

"To be honest, I'm surprised you didn't recognize me.." He confessed, pushing an errant lock of hair behind his ear. "Don't get me wrong, I'm _relieved_ that you didn't. I grew tired of the ' _adoring masses_ ' with their hero-worship." He told her with a particularly despising scowl.

Aeris raised a quizzical brow at that. "You were famous then?"

Sephiroth scoffed dismissively. "Infamous would have been a more correct term.. but yes, I suppose you could say that."

Aeris streched her arms above her head, her limbs sore from being in one position for so long. "Well, down in the slums we're kind of out of the loop when it comes to the world outside. The few people that could afford things like TVs were mobsters, and they used them for gambling - watching races, fights.. anything you could place bets on. I know there's a newspaper published up in the plate, but I didn't know anyone who could afford it – just one issue could mean not eating for a couple of days. People prioritize." When she looked up, Sephiroth was looking at her appraisingly. "What?"

He shook his head, silver bangs gently swaying with his movements. "Nothing. Sometimes I just forget your life hasn't been all roses and sunshine.."

Aeris didn't know what to make of that. "I.. see."

Sephiroth let out a deep breath, pushing back his wayward hair again. "You don't seem affected by it; the ugliness of living. Is what I'm trying to say."

Aeris beamed at him. He was being kind of sweet for once. In his own way. "Well, things weren't so terrible for me! I had Elmyra, my mom that is, I had a roof over my head, food on the table, my garden to tend to.. You can find beauty even in the unlikeliest places, if you look close enough."

Sephiroth merely scoffed and turned his face towards the rain. Perhaps it was quietening down at bit?

"How about you? Any place you call home? Someone waiting for you?"

He was quiet for a long time, brow furrowed deep in thought.

"Come on, there must be someone you care about!"

"..There is always.. _mother_ waiting for me. But a home? The way normal people understand the word? I don't think I've ever had that. I've lived in many places.. But I can't say I ever developed any particular attachment to any of them."

Aeris watched him, the rather despondent look in his eyes as he stared out into the plains outside. "That's kind of sad."

"I think the weathers cleared a bit. We might as well take the opportunity and try to reach the village. Perhaps we'll get lucky and there won't be another downpour."

Aeris climbed to her feet, stiffly, and made her way over to Freya. "Sorry honey, it's go time." She said, ruffling the feathers on the black birds neck. The chocobo raised it's head, blinking sleepily. Aeris grabbed Freya's reins and followed Sephiroth outside. The air smelled wonderful and earthy, some droplets of rain still falling on her face.

Sephiroth grabbed Freya's reigns, commanded it to kneel and waited for Aeris to get settled before joining her on the chocobos back and then they were off, towards the ocean glistening in the horizon.

Aeris could barely make out something along the shore if the squinted her eyes. "Is that Surma then?"

She felt, more than saw, Sephiroth nodding.

The village looked miserable. Fishing nets had been hung for repairs, the buildings shoddily repaired in parts, broken windows.. A cold wind blew through the mostly empty streets. It was a desolate place. Sephiroth asked for directions to the inn and they made their way there in solemn silence.

Aeris watched some children gathering things in little buckets from the sea shore. "What are they doing?"

"Gathering dinner. And if they're lucky, some extra income."

"The Mythril mines.. They used to be ShinRa owned.. didn't they?" Aeris asked, leaning back against his warmth that often felt feverish, like now.

"Yes. Many people here still wish for their return, for more mining.. It's all they know of happiness."

Aeris watched a group of children, perhaps not even old enough to attend school yet, break out in a fight over a pearl. She closed her eyes. "How awful."

"Don't judge them Aeris. It's a fight for survival. They do what they must."

"I wasn't! I just.." Aeris breathed in his scent, pressed her ear against the steady thumping of his heart. "I hate it that it has to be this way, that the world they live in is so.. horrible."

A chuckle. Something about the coldness in it made her pull back and lean towards Freya's neck. Aeris lightly petted her.

"This is it. I hope they haven't gone out of business, or else we'll have to squat." Sephiroth pointed towards a rather dilapitated looking two-storey building with an equally terrible looking stable attached. "Wait here." He then marched inside, leaving Aeris to comfort their chocobo. She stroked her soothingly. "It's just for one night, Freya, we'll be good.." It occurred to her that it might be a good idea to get Sephiroth to teach her how to ride a chocobo. But how to get him to trust her enough to do that though?

From what she'd seen and heard, it was likely he'd been abused as a child. As an adult too, probably. Winning his trust would not be easy.

Aeris gazed out towards the ocean, to the salty waves crashing against cliffs. Everything about this place was grey. The sky, the stormy sea, the clouds above. Even the expressions on the villagers passing by were solemn. There was no laughter, no joy.

In a way it reminded Aeris of home. Of the slums of Midgar. Sure, these houses surrounding her looked fancier. They weren't hastily put together shacks but rather multi-storey apartment buildings. But the stench surrounding them was the same. This was a place of misery, of decay. There were no flowers here.

"Aeris." Sephiroth's voice jolted her awake.

"We've got two rooms. Yours is at the end of the second floor corridor. Mine is next to the stairs downstairs." The warning was clear in his voice.

"Go on inside, I'll take care of Freya, they have a stable master."

An elderly man greeted her at the door. "Ah, you must be the young lady the general was talking about."

Aeris froze. "Uh yes but.. He told you who he is?" Just when she thought she'd made such a breakthrough and had him reveal something of himself that was just for her..

"He's the great general Sephiroth! Hero of the Wutaian war! How could we not recognize him and be honoured by his visit! Perhaps ShinRa are rethinking their investment in the mines – there's still much to be uncovered!"

Aeris didn't know what yarn Sephiroth had spun for the old man, but from what she'd gathered he was no longer associated with ShinRa in any way. His 'mission' was different..

"I wouldn't know about that sir.. If you could just show me to my room."

The man bowed slightly. "Of course miss."

Aeris followed close by, observing decorations that might have looked stunning in the inn's heyday.

"This will be your room for tonight. Have a good night."

The door closed behind her, leaving Aeris in her own private space. She knew the bathroom was just down the hall. Between her and Sephiroth's room. She set her things down by the foot of the bed, sat down on it and sighed.

For a successful escape at this point, she'd have to know how to ride a chocobo and use materia more effectively than she had up until now. Unsurely, she grabbed the metal staff Sephiroth had bought for her, from where it was leaning against her bed. The thing felt unfamiliar and heavy in her hands. Fighting had never been a priority for her growing up – but it seemed as easy as breathing for Sephiroth. She would have to find a way to get him to give her lessons in fighting monsters without being too obvious about her motives.

Just then the door to her room was opened and Sephiroth marched inside. "I've gotten Freya settled in. The stable master assured me she's in good hands."

"That's good then." Aeris fidgeted on her bed.

"What are you doing with that?"

She realized she was still holding the staff. "Nothing.. I was just checking it out. I haven't really had the opportunity until now."

Sephiroth didn't seem convinced but let it slide for now. "I'll be in room 4. If you need me, just knock."

"Got it. Goodnight."

Sephiroth lingered in her doorway like he wanted to tell her something, but ultimately decided against it. "Goodnight, Aeris."

The door clicked shut and just like that, Aeris was left alone with her thoughts.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9.

Aeris opened her eyes to a grey, rainy morning. She could hear the water drumming against the roof above. The view outside looked bleak.

She'd slept restlessly, her dream now fading from her memory. She remembered floating on misty waters, enveloped in a deep white fog. The sorrowful sound of a boat's horn echoed from somewhere far away, a buoy bobbing in the water next to her. The warning light atop it curiously reminded her of her useless, heirloom materia – only now it was glowing. She'd had a vague sense of something enourmous lurking beneath the surface, though she couldn't see what it was.

Then she'd woken up, disoriented and drowzy still.

Aeris scrambled to her feet, grabbed her toothbrush and made her way to the bathroom. She was yawning as she grabbed the handle and opened the door but the sight that greeted her expelled all traces of sleep from her eyes. Sephiroth was standing under the showerhead, buck naked, wringing excess water from his newly washed hair.

Mortified, Aeris turned her back to him, shielding her eyes, but not before the image had been burned into her retinas. "Gods! I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were in here, I just wanted to brush my teeth and freshen up a bit.."

She heard Sephiroth scoff, then reach for a towel, drying himself off. "I don't understand what you're apologizing for. Being ogled at by strangers stopped bothering me a decades ago.."

"..But you're not that old.." Aeris frowned. "For it to be decades, you'd had to have been a very young child."

Sephiroth made another dismissive sound. "Quite a conundrum, isn't it?"

Asshole. "Couldn't you just answer my question?" She asked, finally turning back around and peeking through her fingers to see if he was decent. Thankfully Sephiroth had wrapped a towel around his hips, and was busy drying his hair with another. She couldn't help noticing the black number one tattoo on the back of his hand. It was so rare to see his hands without his gloves on.

"I didn't realize you asked one." Sephiroth quipped back, and though he didn't look at her, Aeris could hear the self-satisfied little smirk in his voice.

"Why did you get that tattoo? Are you that full of yourself?" Aeris meant it as an innocent enough question, even if his superior attitude did annoy her. She realized her mistake the second the words left her mouth. Sephiroth froze stiff, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop as he turned and met her eyes. The look on his face was positively demonic. Naked though he was, Aeris took a step back in alarm.

"I.. did not _get_ it." He ground out through clenched teeth. She could hear the fury in his voice.

"I-I'm sorry." Aeris stammered, taken aback by his reaction. Clearly, all tattoo related talk was off limits.

Sephiroth scowled at her, took a deep breath and then just like that, the storm was over. "I was almost done here anyway.. The bathroom is yours."

Aeris stepped aside as he marched past her, smelling of lavender scented shampoo, which would have amused her under normal circumstances but right now her heart was beating too fast. "O-Ok", she managed to tell his back before he disappeared in his room. Gods, I know what he looks like naked now, Aeris thought and rubbed her temples. I'll never be able to look at him without picturing that, without knowing that the carpet did indeed match the curtains. _The horror_. Although she had to admit he was a very pretty man _all over_. Groaning, she dragged her feet over to the sink and mirror and began her morning routine.

Later, at breakfast, Aeris kept sneaking glances at Sephiroth to gauge his mood. He looked as non-plussed as ever, but from travelling with him these past days she'd learned his expressionless facade could hide explosive amounts of bottled up emotion. "Sephiroth.. I really am sorry.. about earlier."

He gave her a look, half-way between annoyance and a frown. "It's already forgotten. Let's move on shall we?" He said, sipping his coffee, then briefly glancing towards the harbour. "I've been thinking.. We might cut some time if we could catch a ride aboard one of the fishing boats from the harbour to Junon. I know the local fishermen trade there regularly.. We might as well go ask while we're here."

Aeris nodded, chewing on her pancake. She swallowed. "Sounds like a plan. I've never been on a boat before.. I hope I don't get sea-sick.."

"The waves shouldn't get too rough this close to shore – Junon is not that far off." Sephiroth assured her, buttering up a piece of freshly baked bread.

"Junon's a military base right?"

Sephiroth nodded, taking a bite of his sandwich, chasing it down with some juice.

"Were you ever stationed there?" Aeris asked, watched him freeze for a moment then continue chewing as he carefully observed her, considering how much to reveal.

"Yes, for a few years. ShinRa does a lot of training new recruits there.. It's also where you get signed up for SOLDIER.. If you're good enough that is."

"Is that where you got signed up then?"

Sephiroth sat back and folded his arms across his chest. He looked defensive and cagey. "No."

Aeris didn't say anything, but the question must've been in her eyes because Sephiroth ran an agitated hand through his hair and continued. "I was recruited from ShinRa headquarters when I was around twelve, or eleven. I can't quite remember. The years spent there tend to blend together in my mind."

"..Years?"

"Yes." Sephiroth scoffed bitterly, taking a sip of coffee. "You asked earlier if I had a home.. If I must name one, it would be the science department at ShinRa headquarters. That's where I grew up."

"With your parents? Were they ShinRa employees then?"

Sephiroth laughed that awful laugh of his, ugly and bitter. "My quarters there might have been fancier than a lab rats, but we were both stuck running in similar wheels.. _For science._ Parental issues didn't really play a role, they would have been a _distraction_. Although that never seemed to be the case when it came to doling out punishment, or taking out frustrations.." Sephiroth fell silent then, that sad, pained look in his eyes.

So she had been right then, Aeris thought. He had been abused, and knowing Sephiroth, even as little as she did, he was probably downplaying it a lot.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I.. wish things could have been better for you."

The look Sephiroth shot her way was hostile. "Don't pity me. Your condescension is a comfort to no-one but yourself." He then went back to his breakfast, forking a piece of his omelette with a little more force than was necessary.

Aeris watched him in silence. It was clear Sephiroth wasn't humanity's greatest fan and treated acts of kindness with extreme suspicion. Just how bad had his childhood been to develop this mindset? Aeris couldn't fathom it. Even through the hardships she'd endured, she'd maintained a faith in the fundamental goodness of others, misguided though they might be. Sephiroth seemed to be her polar opposite – insisting that all perceived goodness was just a mask for some evil or another.

"Aeris?"

She snapped her head up and realized Sephiroth had been trying to get her attention for a while now. "I thought we might head to the harbour next, leave our gear and Freya here for the time being. Even if nothing comes of getting us passage aboard one of the boats, we can still stock up on supplies, see what the local craftsmen have to offer."

"OK, sounds good." She then hurried up and finished her breakfast, following Sephiroth out into the drizzling rain.

"Does it always rain around here?" Aeris asked him, the ground soggy under her feet. She'd opted to wear her pink dress and red jacket, now regretting that choice as her hem was already caked in mud.

A small smile played on Sephiroth's lips, then vanished. "Not always.. Though we are in the rainy season."

"Sephiroth?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think you could.." Aeris tried to sound as casual as she could. "teach me to fight, a bit. Just because I've noticed I haven't been much use in battles other than for healing and I'd like to get better.."

Sephiroth arched a silver eyebrow, searching her eyes for an alterior motive.

Aeris squirmed under the scrutiny. "It's just I feel so useless! I'm not half bad with materia you know, I just haven't had any practice. And I mean, you used to train recruits for ShinRa, right? I don't see how I'm any different."

Sephiroth shook his head, his bangs hiding his face from her. "..You'd never have made it through training. You're too kind-hearted."

Aeris was speechless, and felt an odd lump in her throat. She was discovering Sephiroth could be devestatingly sweet sometimes – if only because when he was, it was such a stark contrast to his usual callousness.

"But you'll teach me, right?"

Sephiroth spared her a glance from the corner of his eye. "I'll think about it."

The harbour looked as down on its luck as the rest of Surma, but there were three larger fishing boats docked along with one smaller one. Sephiroth made his way to the harbour masters office, motioning for Aeris to stay put. She walked along one pier, towards the ocean as she waited for him to make inquiries for their passage to Junon. The pier felt slick like ice under her feet and she found herself watching her step as she reached the end of the pier and a rickety bench stationed there.

The ocean didn't look stormy, the waves lapping against the pier lazily. A mist hung over the water, just like in her dream, ominous somehow – _hiding things_. Aeris couldn't shake the strangely foreboding feeling she had about going out there. _I'm being silly_. I have Sephiroth with me, after all, and he's not afraid. The mist twisted in the wind, her mind creating shapes within.

Sephiroth's heavy footfalls approached. "We're in luck - there's a ship, the Leviathan, departing for Junon after midnight. We can take our gear and Freya aboard already. I was hoping you might spend the rest of the day with me, as we wait departure."

Aeris looked at him, baffled. "Like.. a date?"

Sephiroth huffed, arms crossed, looking at anything but her face. "I thought we might get around to that training you spoke of. We can go into the nearby plains, find some weak monsters. To teach you, I need to properly observe your technique."

Aeris blushed. Why had a date been the first thing to enter her mind? "Sure, that sounds great."

The pair then started walking back to the inn, Aeris trailing behind Sephiroth's determined stride. She'd gotten what she wanted, she thought, slightly worried for what the day would have in store.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10.

Aeris sat on a boulder, taking a sip of water. She watched Sephiroth pacing in front of her, going off on a rant. "..On top of that, you should shift your center of balance lower, taking support with one foot slightly at the back like this – you'll have better leverage for a more powerful blow that way."

They'd been practicing for hours, Aeris couldn't keep count anymore of the number of monster heads she'd bashed in. Apparently once Sephiroth took on a task he was all in, no holds barred, unrelenting and untiring. Unlike Aeris, who felt she'd seen her share of bloodshed for today – even if it was only monsters.

Sephiroth seemed to finally notice her disinterest, blinking at her. "Time for dinner?"

Aeris nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes please. I'm guessing the local delicacies are all sea food?"

"Pretty much." Sephiroth gathered the few belongings they hadn't already took aboard the Leviathan in his backbag, throwing it over one shoulder and gestured for Aeris to lead the way back towards town.

They walked in companionable silence for a while, Aeris enjoying the cool sea breeze pulling at her hair while Sephiroth kept his eyes on his shoes. The sun was falling lower in the sky but they still had hours to wait until they'd be expected at the harbour.

"What's that?" Sephiroth suddenly asked, his eyes focused on a point atop her head. Aeris reached back and grabbed her heirloom, pulling it out from her hairpin and showing it to Sephiroth, who grabbed the small orb and rolled it around between his fingers.

"My mother gave it to me, my birth mother that is.. Before she died. According to Elmyra, I'll know how to use it when the time comes."

Sephiroth wrinkled his brow. "It's materia?"

"I guess so. I've never gotten it to work, though."

Sephiroth seemed to focus on the orb for a moment, eyes closed. The materia pulsed with light, and he suddenly fell to his knees, the materia rolling a small distance away.

"Sephiroth!" Aeris exclaimed, grabbing her materia and storing it back into the clutches of her hairpin. "Are you alright?"

Sephiroth climbed back to his feet with some effort, a stunned look on his face. "I'm fine." He eyed the materia now back in Aeris' hair with apprehension. "It.. rejected me."

Aeris wanted to inquire further but decided against it, seeing the forlorn look on his face.

"It's just a stupid piece of rock. Come on, let's go have dinner! I bet you know all the best restaurants." Aeris tugged on his arm and he reluctantly followed.

Dinner did indeed consist of mostly fish, accompanied by some steamed vegetables and rice. Aeris eagerly tried everything she could.

"You sure worked up an appetite." Sephiroth smirked, earning himself a dirty look from Aeris.

"Well it's your fault. I bet I'll be sore in the morning.."

Another smirk, this time aimed at the table cloth. Sephiroth was idly picking at a loose thread in the fabric.

Aeris frowned at him, casting aside her now empty plate. "You seem anxious.. Do you think there'll be trouble on the way to Junon?"

Sephiroth's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Why, do you know something?"

Aeris shook her head, though his paranoia confirmed her belief that something was bothering him. "Nothing. I guess it's just nerves.. The harbour kind of gave me the creeps, earlier."

Sephiroth shrugged. "I didn't notice anything unusual. This is a pretty sheltered cove, it often gets foggy."

"That's not what I meant." Aeris tried to explain. "I had a dream.. something about that place."

Sephiroth blinked. "Oh.."

Aeris suddenly felt really silly. "Nevermind that, it's stupid. Shouldn't we get over to to the boat.. what was it called.. Leviathan?"

"That's right. We might as well.. it's getting late."

Aeris stood and followed Sephiroth as they made their way through the darkened streets towards the docks. "It sure gets quiet around here.." She whispered into his back.

"It's late.. Our boat leaves at midnight."

Aeris nodded, apprehensive as Sephiroth approached an elderly man she assumed was the captain, shook hands with him and continued to talk in what sounded like Wutanese.

"This way," He told her, pointing to the gangplank leading to their boat. Aeris followed into their cabin, _with two beds,_ thank the Planet. It was a very small room though. She sat on one, with the round window behind her back open, letting her know the ships crew were busy getting ready to set sail.

Sephiroth returned to her soon with two cups of tea with him. "Compliments of the crew." He told her as he handed her her mug. She took a sip of the sweet herbal drink just as Sephiroth did from his mug. "It's several hours before we dock in Junon, we might as well try to get some rest." He told her, sitting down on his bed with a thud.

"I don't know if I can.." She muttered, just as the vessels engines flared to life. The whole cabin seemed to be shaking. Outside, orders were being shouted, Aeris could hear running footsteps. "I guess it's midnight then.." She lamented, peering out into the blackness outside through her small circular window.

"We'll be fine.." Sephiroth told her, having set down his empty mug on the bedside table. He layed down, one arm over his face. "Just think of it as a heartbeat of some ancient benevolent being you're inside of.."

Aeris paused, thinking. Yes, that was what it was like.. Somewhere in the distance, a fog horn sounded. Thinking nothing of it, she too finished her drink, taking one last look at Sephiroth who already seemed to be sleeping. Odd. She set her mug down next to his, feeling drowzy despite the noise coming through the open window. She pulled her blanket up to her ears, grateful for the extra warmth.

The soft rocking of the boat sent her to sleep as the Leviathan left the harbour for Junon.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11.

Aeris dreamt. She felt like she was floating, hearing whispering voices all around her. "Daughter.. kill him."

"Who?" Aeris blinked confused, trying to locate the source of the voice.

"You know who" a chorus of voices answered, making her feel slightly nauseous. "The offspring of Jenova cannot be allowed to live.."

"I don't understand.. who are you? Where are you?" She tried looking around her but all she could see was shifting shadows.

"He seeks the destruction of this world. You must end him."

"Who?" But Aeris already knew who the voices meant. _Sephiroth_.

The voices hummed. "He must die."

Aeris shook her head, "No! I can't, I won't, you can't ask that of me!"

"He must die" The voices repeated.

"No!" Aeris flailed her arms around but was met with resistance.

"Aeris wake up, you're having a nightmare.."

She opened her eyes, meeting Sephiroth's icy green orbs gazing down at her with worry. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine.. Where are we?"

The room they were in had concrete flooring, non-descript white walls – it sure didn't look anything like their cabin aboard the Leviathan. _More like a prison cell_.

Sephiroth scratched his head. "I'm not sure, somewhere in Junon I think."

Aeris sat up, disturbed. "What happened?"

Sephiroth shook his head. "I don't know. I think we got drugged last night.. All I know is waking up here."

Aeris hugged her knees. "This is bad.. Do you think it's ShinRa behind all this?"

Sephiroth shook his head, stopped, then met her eyes straight on. "Could be.. Aeris, I'm sorry.. I should have been more cautious.. I put you in danger."

Aeris grabbed his hand, squeezing it a bit. "It's not your fault, I didn't trust my instincts either."

Sephiroth pulled away from her, turning his face away. "No, you don't understand.. I should have picked up on the warning signs – the captain's loyalty to ShinRa being a big one.. I failed."

Aeris reached for his hand again, squeezing his fingers with renewed determination. "I meant what I said. Don't blame yourself."

Sephiroth merely looked down, deeply uncomfortable. "Thank you."

Just then the intercom came to crackling life, a voice calling to them coming out of the speakers hung high close to the ceiling. "How very touching. I'm pleased the two of you are getting along so nicely."

Aeris could sense the tensing of muscles in Sephiroth. "Hojo.." He ground out.

"Indeed. What luck to have both my prized specimens back in my possesion." The cackling laughter that followed sent shivers down Aeris' spine.

"Why are you doing this? What do you intend for us?" She asked, seeking the camera looking at her. Only more mad laughter followed. Sephiroth was sitting in a corner, holding his head, looking generally miserable, like he knew what was up ahead.

"Let us out!" She shouted.

Hojo chuckled nastily. "Oh no dear. Why don't you and _my son_ get better acquainted, eh?"

Aeris shot a startled look at Sephiroth, who was still holding his head, stuck in some private hell.

"Your.. son?"

"Oh yes." Hojo replied. "He didn't tell you that already? Ah well, Sephiroth probably didn't want to brag."

Aeris straightened up, squaring her jaw. "All he's told me about his youth is how abused he was."

Hojo laughed again. "Oh the innocence of youth. Well, you'll learn soon enough. I have many things planned.. for both of you." With that, the connection fell silent, leaving Aeris alone with Sephiroth in their cell.

"Is it true?" She asked his still form.

"..Yes." Sephiroth answered quietly.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Sephiroth avoided her eyes, wringing his hands uncomfortably. "It's not something I'm proud of.. most kids fear the monster under their bed or in the closet.. I feared my own father.. Still do." He confessed, hanging his head even lower in shame.

"Sephiroth.." Aeris took a seat next to him on the floor. "You can tell me anything, I won't think any less of you for it."

"Hmpf."

"No, really." Aeris said with confidence. "Now, we have to figure out how to get out of here."

Sephiroth shook his head. "I'm no use, he.. drugged me with something. I can't use materia like this."

"Well then, girl power it is!"

That got a small smile out of Sephiroth, looking at her determined face with affection. "Well, if anyone can do it it's you."

"That's the spirit!" Aeris nodded. "What do you think he wants with us though? Hojo I mean."

Sephiroth turned away from her. "..I'm sure you can guess. It won't come to that if I have anything to say about it, so don't worry.."

Aeris blinked, then suddenly remembered what he'd told her about ShinRa wanting to _breed_ her. She blushed. "He wants us to..?"

Sephiroth nodded. "Yeah.."

"That's sick!" Aeris exclaimed, not noticing the way her words made Sephiroth flinch. "What's wrong with him? How can he do this to other living beings?" She just couldn't comprehend.

"Hojo.. my.. _father_.." Sephiroth sighed. "He believes the end justifies the means."

"Well, that's crap." Aeris stated.

Sephiroth laughed, and this time there was actual amusement in his expression.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12.

Aeris sat in a corner opposite Sephiroth. She was troubled by her dream earlier – the voices had told her he sought the end of the world. That could't be true, could it? She watched him pace back and forth like a caged animal, it was starting to make her dizzy.

"Sephiroth.. Who is Jenova?"

Sephiroth stopped and fixed his eyes on her. "How do you know that name?"

"Nevermind that. Who is she to you?"

"That's the name of my mother."

Aeris felt a chill go through her. Oh no. That couldn't be true. He had to have been misled somehow.

"But Sephiroth, that's not possible.."

Sephiroth stared back at her intensely. "Why?"

Aeris wringed her hands. How was she supposed to approach this topic? Let alone tell him about how the Planet sometimes talked in her head? He'd think she was insane!

"I know of a Jenova – who is a monster. Your father is human.. so your mother must be too."

Sephiroth scoffed and resumed his agitated pacing. "I told you I wasn't brought about the normal way."

"But Sephiroth.."

Just then the door to their cell sprang open, armed guards with their weapons drawn outside. "Professor Hojo needs to see you both."

Sephiroth hung his head and sighed, holding out his hand like this was something normal. "Go on then."

A soldier stepped forward and injected him with something. Aeris stumbled as a soldier also approached her. "W-what did you do to him?"

"Just a tranquilizer, mam"

Sephiroth was being escorted out, looking dazed.

"No!" Aeris exclaimed, but before she knew it something was jabbed into her arm. Her head swam, thoughts drifting randomly like she was very drunk.

"This way." Someone grabbed her by the elbow and began walking her after Sephiroth. Aeris felt sluggish, dragging her feet as she walked.

"Where are you taking us?" She asked the guard walking her.

"To Professor Hojo's lab, mam"

"Why?!"

"Those are my orders mam."

The narrow corridor they were walking in soon opened into a larger room with multiple exits. Aeris looked over at Sephiroths back, he seemed to know where they were going. Did they do this kind of thing to him while he was stationed here?

After a while they were both pushed in through double doors, Sephiroth nearly collapsing against a wall. Whatever they dosed him with had to have been powerful stuff.

"Are you OK?" Aeris asked him. He looked like he was struggling for breath.

Sephiroth shook his head, "I'm fine."

He didn't look fine at all, but Aeris didn't comment. At present the labs were empty but for them. All around them were machinery, tubes, tanks, electric wiring – Aeris took in the scenery with apprehension. "What is this place?"

"One of Hojo's many labs." Sephiroth answered, finally giving up and sitting down, his back against a wall.

"Have you.. ever been here before?"

Sephiroth turned his head away, curtain of silver hair hiding his eyes. "..Yes"

"Seph.. I'm sorry."

"I told you to stop apologizing. Don't pity me." Sephiroth snapped back at her, irritated.

A door at the far end of the room hissed open and Professor Hojo strolled inside, followed by armed guards.

"Well then, Sephiroth, you know the procedure. Off to the table!" He exclaimed cheerfully. Sephiroth struggled to his feet and trudged along to an examination table where he was promptly strapped down.

Aeris looked on in horror as they yet again injected him with something. "B-but he's your son!" _How could a father treat their offspring like this?_

"I'm proud my genes produced a specimen as impressive as him – heheh, it sure seems to be a selling point with the ladies."

Aeris was appalled. "But don't you _care_ for him, at all?"

Hojo looked perplexed, and adjusted his glasses. "He has value as a research subject. We hope to replicate him. Soon."

Aeris didn't like the way Hojo looked at her when he said that.

"Which brings me to you." Hojo circled around her, measuring her up. "It's a shame your mother perished before she could tutor you in the ways of the Cetra."

"W-what?"

" _Ifalna_. Your birth mother." Hojo stated flatly. "I could have learned much from her. If only that dumb boy hadn't interfered."

Aeris blinked, confused. "That dumb boy?"

"Sephiroth. He labours under the misapprehension he can change things. The world is as it's meant to be." Hojo shot a glance at his son with annoyance. "He released many specimens and for what – for them to march to their deaths!"

Aeris' lips trembled. "My mom wasn't a specimen.. she was my mom. She died trying to save me.."

Hojo dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "Yes, yes, and all for naught!"

He walked over to a tank with a keypad and punched in a code Aeris couldn't see. The door to the thing opened with a hiss and Hojo gestured for Aeris to go inside. An armed guard poked her in the back.

"No, I don't want to, please don't!" She pleaded.

Another more insistent poke in the back followed. Hojo looked annoyed. "This is not a negotioation. Get in the tank _before we make you_."

Aeris swallowed thickly, then slowly made her way inside. The door closed behind her, sealing her inside. Hojo rubbed his hands together, looking all too pleased with himself. "There you go, that wasn't so hard was it?"

Aeris glared at him. "You're a monster."

Hojo laughed. "Ah so the ignoramuses say of every true visionary." He then took a look at his watch, sighing. "Looks like you'll be left alone with your thoughts for now, I have a meeting with the President." Hojo then turned and motioned for his guards to follow.

Aeris sat down on the floor, hopeless. _How was she going to get out of this one?_


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13.

Aeris sat in her tank, gazing over at an unconcious Sephiroth in misery. The lab assistants had hooked him up to some machinery after taking multiple vials of blood for testing. They'd even clipped a few strands of his hair – for whatever reason. He'd acted like this was normal.. was that what was ahead for her too? Aeris hugged her knees and took in the room her glass tank was situated in.

Without outside help she was stuck. Right now the only help she could get was Sephiroth and he was out cold, drugged up to the eye-balls. _Please wake up_.. she pleaded in her thoughts, hoping he could somehow hear her.

Even more distressingly, she was at the mercy of the man responsible for the deaths of both her parents. Desperate, Aeris took out her heirloom materia, gripping it tight. "Work you stupid thing! Now is the time!" She shouted at it, but nothing happened. "Why won't you help us?" Aeris cried, then slumped forward in tears. _This is hopeless,_ she thought.

Just then, Sephiroth stirred, his eyes blinking open drowzily. "Seph..?" Aeris called out to him. He visibly struggled to sit up.

"Have I been out for long?" He asked her. Aeris shook her head. "A few hours. Are you OK?"

"I'm fine." Sephiroth replied as he pulled out a needle from his arm, connected to a machine. He then continued to pull wires and tags off his bare torso.

"I'm surprised they left us alone like this.." Aeris wondered aloud.

"There's probably some emergency going on." Sephiroth scoffed. "Perhaps that rebel group stirring up some trouble.."

"Oh?" Aeris recalled seeing some ads for a group called Avalanche. "Avalanche?"

Sephiroth looked up at her, running a hand through his hair. "That would be them.. They've made some.. i _nteresting_ recruitments lately.."

"What do you mean?"

Sephiroth looked away and sighed. "I believe their current leader is a former subordinate of mine."

Aeris clapped her hands together, her hope renewed. "They must be here to help us then!"

Sephiroth shook his head and chuckled darkly. "I doubt that. He has reasons to feel.. less than friendly towards me. Not that I care much for him either."

Aeris frowned, sensing there was a long and dark story behind that statement. But right now what was important was getting out of this tank. She tapped on the glass. "Can you get me out of here?"

Sephiroth glanced about then put his bare feet on the floor. "I think so, unless they've changed the codes."

He padded over to her tank and tried a few combinations of numbers before the tank's door hissed open. Aeris sighed in relief and buried her face in Sephiroth's chest, hugging him tight. "Thank you."

Sephiroth stood stiff, clearly uncomfortable in her arms. "You're welcome."

Aeris pulled back and looked up into his eyes. "How do we get out of here then?"

Sephiroth shrugged. "I don't have my weapon or gear.. And this is a military base. Distracted though they might be at present, I doubt they'd just let us leave.."

"But we have to try!"

"Yes, I know.." Sephiroth shook his head. "I just don't have much faith in our chances."

Aeris pulled on his arm. "Let's get going then! Come on, you know this place much better than I."

"Alright. If you're sure.." Sephiroth walked sluggishly over to a door and pushed a button to open it. "After you.."

Aeris took a look outside into the dark corridor. It looked empty enough. She took a few tentative steps outside, hugging the wall.

"There's a guard station at the end of this hall." Sephiroth whispered in her ear.

"Oh no.. How do we get past them?"

Sephiroth shrugged. "Perhaps we'll get lucky and they won't notice us."

Just then an explosion tore through the building, shaking the floor. Aeris fell down on her backside. "Oof!"

Sephiroth offered her a hand up. "We have company.." He sighed.

Aeris looked over to where he was pointing and took in the ragtag gang of people emerging from the smoke. In front of them was a blue eyed blond man, carrying an impressive sword. He looked at Sephiroth with hatred. "Sephiroth.." He ground out.

"Cloud." Sephiroth acknowledged, not seeming any more pleased at seeing him.

"I was hoping the rumours were true and I'd find you here." Cloud told him. "Now we can finish this. Or rather, _you_."

Aeris looked up at Sephiroth with alarm. "No, please don't!"

"You defend this monster?" Cloud spat out. "Do you have any idea what he's done?"

"..Sephiroth?" Aeris asked him. "What's he talking about?"

Only silence followed.

Cloud bristled. "You've been travelling with a mass murderer! A war criminal!"

Aeris looked up in his eyes, which he promptly turned away. "I never claimed to be an angel." Sephiroth answered.

Guards bust in to the room, along with Hojo. "Go with them, now!" Sephiroth told her and pushed her forward. Aeris stumbled into Cloud's arms much to the dislike of the dark haired girl next to him.

Aeris looked back to see Sephiroth fall down, taken down by the guards. "No!"

"He's not worth your concern." Cloud told her and grabbed her by the elbow. "Let's go."

They rushed out of the building, guards chasing them. Outside, a truck waited and Aeris packed in together with the others. With bullets chasing them, the group raced away. Curled up in a corner all Aeris could think of was what was happening to Sephiroth. Her escape was bound to cost him dearly.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14.

Aeris had curled up on an old worn armchair in the far end corner of Avalanche's current hideout. They were indeed an odd looking bunch, and they were all giving Aeris nasty looks – she could barely stand the open hostility aimed at her. They seemed to loathe her concern for Sephiroth, as if they thought that anyone who could worry about him had to be pure evil as well.

The group had arrived at the rather rundown looking, abandoned and boarded up building in the lower level slums of Junon about an hour ago and since then none of them had particularly acknowledged her except to silently fume that she was there.

The horrible things she'd heard from Cloud and a companion of his called Tifa about Sephiroth during their escape stunned and saddened her, but she had not been entirely surprised either. She'd seen enough examples of his temper and the violence he was capable of committing that she didn't think they were lying to her about him. Aeris bit her lip deep in thought.

While such acts were anathema to her and truly horrific, she just couldn't see Sephiroth in the black and white terms the others did. During her travels with him she had seen a side of him that blurred the lines into shades of grey. Now she didn't know what to think or even if she'd ever see him again. How would she react if she did?

She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together in prayer. Maybe the Planet would have some advice for her, or comfort at least. She still didn't know _exactly_ what Sephiroth's plans for the future were and she wished she had asked him more insistently about them.

She had a foreboding feeling they intimately involved her somehow. After all, he had kidnapped her to join him on his journey; it had to be for a reason. If he had somekind of a kamikaze mission in mind and it was imperitive she be a part of, then she ought know about it. Foolishly she even hoped she might be able to talk him out of it. _Unlikely_ , seeing as how stubborn and fatalistic he was.

The Planet hummed it's familiar soothing song – Aeris was so focused on it she almost didn't hear Cloud's angry voice directed at her.

"I sincerely hope you're not _praying_ for that bastard." He told her in no uncertain terms how much he disapproved.

Aeris opened her eyes and wished the cushions of her chair would swallow her as she met his deep blue eyes. They too, had the Mako glow of a SOLDIER though not as intense as Sephiroth's. He was more normal looking, of average height though well built as she supposed a rebel leader should be.

"N-no I was just meditating." Aeris stammered.

Cloud scoffed and turned away in disgust. "Yeah, right.."

The dark-haired girl next to him, who Aeris now knew as Tifa placed a gentle hand on his arm. "It's not worth it, she doesn't know him like we do. Who knows what lies and manipulations he's been feeding her for however long they've been together."

Cloud looked at her for a moment then sighed. "I just don't understand how anyone could stand to be his girl. Even before Niebelheim, he was always so cold, aloof and off-putting. To think someone could stand to _touch_ that freak let alone have any other feeling for him but revulsion is beyond me."

Aeris looked down at her hands, feeling her face flush slightly. They thought she was Sephiroth's girlfriend? The thought felt strange, they were just friends after all and barely even that.

Avalanche continued discussing their plans for bringing down ShinRa – something about the President coming for a visit in Junon and them attempting to assasinate him. Aeris listened with half an ear, feeling depressed about the way they talked of Sephiroth although she could entirely understand why they felt such intense hatred for him. She felt like she was being pulled in multiple directions, stuck between worlds.

As the last Cetra (that she knew of, anyway) the Planet's needs came first of course, but at the same time she couldn't help but have a desperate wish she could rescue Sephiroth from the clutches of Hojo. Nothing good could come out of having him imprisoned there. Who knew what kind of experiments Hojo was performing and he hadn't kept it a secret he wanted to 'replicate' him, by way of cloning or otherwise. And then there was the fact she wanted to confront him about his past – to see once and for all how deep his madness truly ran.

She recalled an incident from the early days of their travels, shouting and raving about how worthless she was because she couldn't match his abilities. He had seemed repentant afterwards but Aeris couldn't help but wonder just how much he really was his fathers son?

Victims of abuse often become abusers themselves, after all. Aeris felt she needed to know the answers to these questions before she could make up her mind about him. She had to know the truth.

 _Before she could do what the Planet_ _had_ _asked of her_.

Aeris shook her head to dislodge the thought, bangs swaying gently. No, she couldn't, it went against everything she believed in. But if the Planet was right about him and not just reacting to him being part Jenova, how else could she stop him? Could she trap him, somewhere, in imprisonment?

The thought seemed cruel to her, especially since Sephiroth had grown up in captivity. So then, perhaps death would be an act of kindness.. If only Aeris could bear the though of his dying. There had to be a third option, just had to be. She just hadn't found it yet. At least she hoped so..

And to think just a short while ago she'd been plotting her escape from him..

Cringing Aeris had to admit her so called attempts had been pretty half-hearted though. A part of her had _wanted_ to stay with him, probably because even through his coldness and anger she'd sensed how damaged and broken he was.

It was in her nature to heal, but in Sephiroth's case she wondered if he was beyond her ability to aid. He had at least seemed to be improving. Aeris tilted her head thoughtfully. It couldn't have all been an act as the others seemed to believe.. could it?

So now the problem became how could she ever see him face to face again without risking capture by ShinRa? Avalanche would be no help, they were going to let him rot where he lay. At least she was safe with them, for now. Who knew how long they would allow her to stay.

Aeris felt disheartened and leant her face in her palm, troubled like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. _And in a way, it was_.


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15.

Aeris chewed on a dry piece of bread, occasionally dunking it in the bowl of soup provided by Avalanche. The group themselves had left for a scouting mission and to further plan their coming attack on ShinRa, leaving Aeris behind. They still didn't trust her.

They'd left a single guard at their base, an odd looking fellow called Vincent. He was leaning against a wall, arms folded across his chest, crimson eyes staring at her intently. It was making her a little uncomfortable.

Aeris gulped down the last of her meal and chased it down with some water. Her stomach was now full at least.

Some rays of sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the boarded up windows, painting streaks of light across her face. It seemed to be a rather pretty day outside, if one could say such a thing in Junon harbour's slums with all the pollution around. The waves lapping against the shore embankments smelled absolutely foul, like someone had poured raw sewage into the sea.

It reminded Aeris a bit of Midgar, and the habits of the upper plate to just dump their waste below – many of the slums denizens made their living scavenging through the debris and selling metals, drone and robot parts back to smelting plants and junkyards. It was a meager living – but very few things grew in Midgar's slums and the people needed to eat.

Thinking of Midgar made Aeris think of Elmyra, who had to be worried sick by now. She wished she had some way of sending a message to her mom that she was OK. _Well, mostly OK_.

Which brought her thoughts back full circle to her current silver-haired problem. _Sephiroth_. She couldn't help wondering how he was doing. Her thoughts had drifted back to him several times already that morning but she was no closer to coming up with any solutions to her dilemma. She was no miitary tactician, no soldier, more apt in the healing arts than combat – though she had improved a great deal thanks to travelling with Sephiroth.

While a lot of their journey together had been downright aggravating, they'd had their moments too. She appreciated his gruff niceness all the more because it was rare – although he had been opening up to her a bit more lately..

"You're thinking of him, aren't you?"

Aeris turned towards Vincent, surprised the quiet man had spoken. She hadn't heard a peep from him all morning. Aeris turned her head away, unable to hold his gaze. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"I was merely curious." Vincent continued in his strangely accented voice. The dialect sounded like something from times past.

"About what?" Aeris tilted her head, taking in his red cape, prosthetic golden claw arm, the unruly jet black hair held back by a bandana. Red eyes stared at her quizzically from under his brow.

"Sephiroth, actually. I have something of a.. connection.. to that family." His voice took on a somewhat faraway tone, like he was lost in a memory.

"Oh. I hadn't realized." Aeris turned to him, her hands in her lap. "What would you like to know then?"

Vincent was silent a moment. "..Perhaps I should explain my position first. I knew both his parents – but.. the last I saw of Sephiroth he was a newborn."

Aeris blinked. "B-but.. he has to be close to thirty years old!" She didn't know how old Vincent was, but he looked no older than that, as well.

Vincent scoffed. "Yes well, due to some unfortunate changes made to my body by a _certain scientist_ , my aging process seems to have slowed down significantly if not come to a complete halt."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Then Aeris scrunched her brow. "Or maybe congratulations?" Perhaps Vincent preferred near immortality.

Something like melancholy amusement passed on Vincent's face.

"It's fine.. I consider it atonement for my sins.." Vincent lamented, then met Aeris' eyes again.

"From what I've heard from the others Sephiroth has turned out much like his father, infected by his madness. What I'd like to know is how much truth there is to that."

This was exactly the question that had been plaquing Aeris for a while now. Biting her lip she wondered how to answer Vincent's question since she wasn't sure of the answer herself. "I've seen traces.. of Hojo in him. He was very badly abused by him. But there is more to it than that. He's not a carbon copy of his father.. and I believe he resents the parts of himself that are like him." She sincerely hoped she wasn't lying to Vincent, but at present that was her take on the subject.

Vincent bowed his head thoughtfully. "Hmm. I see. Thank you."

"Vincent, you said you knew both his parents? Did you also know.. his mother?"

Vincent's eyes were pained as they met her emerald orbs. "Oh yes.. _Lucrecia_.." He whispered the word like a prayer.

Aeris wrung her hands. _So it is as I suspected_ , she thought, _he has been misled_. "Sephiroth believes his mother is a creature called Jenova. He doesn't believe he's human."

Vincent's eyes widened. "But how can that be, surely Hojo would have at least.." Then his eyes narrowed angrily. "So that man wouldn't even respect his wife's memory enough to tell his son his mother's name. I should have known."

"Don't you think he ought to know?" Aeris asked. Vincent pushed back his hair and sighed mournfully.

"Aeris, it may be too late for him." He stared at the floor. "If only someone had told him when he was still at an impressionable age.. I blame myself."

Aeris lowered her head, blinking sadly. How tragic.. It couldn't be too late! "Vincent.." Aeris decided to trust him, he seemed to have cared for Sephiroth's mother and clearly shared her distaste for Hojo. "I need to get him out of there."

Vincent shook his head. "That's suicide. Besides, the others would never approve. You must know that."

"I do but.. Don't you see how dangerous it is, letting Hojo experiment on him? Even if he doesn't clone him, Sephiroth's mental state is very fragile. Hojo might release him once he's done with him.. Who knows what kind of state he'll be in. What if another Niebelheim occurs?."

Vincent nodded slowly, regarding her seriously. "Aeris, I understand that you.. care for him. But Sephiroth is a very dangerous man – I'm sure the scientists at ShinRa know that too. It's far more likely they would simply destroy him at that point."

Aeris gulped. "Well, while we wait around for clones to emerge, we could be dealing with just one Sephiroth rather than many! Please Vincent, help me."

He sighed, recognition dawning in his eyes. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

"W-what?" Aeris sputtered. "N-no, we're just friends. He helped me, I want to help him."

Vincent shook his head. "You don't have to say anything, I won't judge. I haven't exactly made the wisest choices in love myself."

Just then the door to the hideout swung open and the rest of the Avalanche members marched in, discussing their plans in low voices. Aeris retreated into her armchair, trying to get comfortable. Vincent's words troubled her. He couldn't be right, it was ridiculous! Aeris nodded to herself confidently. She layed her head on the soft armrest and decided to try and take a nap in her awkward position, feeling drowzy after her meal.

Cloud's voice drifted in her ears from across the room. "..So here is the main helipad, next to the main entrance to the base. That's likely to be where the President and his entourage lands."

"Dat's nice and all, but dere'll be a parade and shit to welcome him there too. Damn lousy place for an ambush." The deep booming voice belonged to Barret, the big black man with a gun arm prosthetic. Aeris briefly wondered how he lost his hand.

"You didn't let me finish," Cloud replied with irritation, "I wasn't suggesting we ambush him there."

There were some muffled snickers at the exchange.

He continued. "Just around the corner, here, is a maintenance entrance for service bots – we can find entry to the base there. Through the vents we can reach the upper level of the entrance hall – with an excellent view down to the reception area. If we get a lucky shot, we could finish him off as he enters the base."

"Good plan Cloud!" That sounded like Tifa, Aeris thought.

"Uh, yeah, I haven't worked out the details yet. It's a long shot, but worth trying I think. Now the problem becomes how we make our escape.." Cloud sounded abashed,

The conversation droned on for a while longer, pros and cons discussed, but Aeris had already drifted into sleep, dreaming of eery Mako green eyes..


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16.

AN: Sorry for lack of updates for a while. I'm very thankful for all the encouragement I've gotten from the reviews. Thank you so much everyone who's bothered reading, I'm glad you've liked this thing. I've just been having some health problems lately.. Enough about me, on with the story!

...

 _In her dreams, Aeris sat on a hill next to Sephiroth, overlooking the plains below. The wind blew the tall grass down there like waves. "It's so beautiful."_

 _Sephiroth turned his head away, long silver strands shifting to shield his face. "Hahah" A bitter chuckle, then a pointed cold look directly into her eyes. It chilled her, his eyes were so intense. "That's what they used to say about me. Sycophants looking for approval. But when I look in the mirror all I see is.."_

" _What?" But Aeris suspected she already knew the answer. "Why do you hate people so much? There must have been many you cared about? Friends? Lovers?"_

" _War hardens your heart." Sephiroth turned his head away with a sneer on his lips, but there was something broken in his expression. "Attachments are for the weak. Life is fleeting and pointless. No mortal defeats fate."_

" _Is that what you truly believe this quest is? Defeating your fate?"_

 _Sephiroth glanced at her briefly, then turned his eyes away again. "What else is there. Look up there."_

 _Sephiroth lifted a gloved hand and pointed at the night sky. "Just like the planets, comets, stars.. We're all trapped in our trajectories, carried forward by forces out of our control. Well not me, not anymore.. One way or another I will break free and forge my own fate – as the gods do."_

 _Aeris bowed her head in silence. "Sephiroth.. Jenova means to kill you." She didn't know how she knew this, but she was certain of her words. "She means to have her cells back. What you think is your dream is really hers."_

" _Pfft. She wouldn't destroy her son."_

 _Aeris' heart sank. "You don't really believe that, Sephiroth.."_

 _There was a long pause, the night sky incredible above them. Millions, no billions of stars lighting up the darkness. "Doesn't matter. My path has been set."_

"Sephiroth.." Aeris reached out for him but touched nothing but air – Sephiroth had evaporated from beside her.

Just then she felt someone shaking her. "Aeris! Wake up!"

"Wh-What?" She blinked and rubbed her eyes. Apparently Avalanche was all geared up and ready to go.

"We're leaving. Just follow along but if you fall behind don't expect a rescue." Cloud told her. Tifa gave him a slightly scolding look. "Anyway, here's some gear that might come in handy – some materia, potions and such. Equip what you can and store the rest in your backpack. But we're leaving in 5!" Cloud informed her and the group.

Aeris scrambled to her feet, checked her materia and gear. She was sure her hair was a mess after all the tossing and turning she must've done in her sleep. But there didn't seem to be enough time to dig out her brush and start sorting it out.

Barret was standing guard by the open door, cautiously searching both ways for enemies. "Looks clear, Cloud!" He exclaimed.

"Not so loud, damnit!" Cloud replied in a hushed voice. The suppressed amusement shone from everyone's eyes. Even Aeris had to hide a grin behind her hand – even though she wasn't even part of the group. She was still unsure just who the Avalanche were and what they stood for. All she knew of them was what rumours had told her – not exactly the most reliable source of information. She highly doubted they were cannibals. Perhaps she'd learn the truth by travelling with them.

Still, she knew where they would be headed right now: to attempt to assassinate President Shinra. She still wasn't sure how to feel about that. Sure, he was a really bad guy.. but would killing him really solve anything? Wouldn't he just get replaced by someone just as bad, if not worse? Still, she stayed quiet for now. Avalanche wouldn't want to hear anything she had to say anyway, especially when it came to saving the life of someone ShinRa affiliated..

"OK, let's move out. And for the love of gods Barret if you ask me to say 'let's mosey'.." Cloud grumbled, gesturing for the group to follow. Aeris took her position at the back.

"No need you spiky assed fool, you already said it!" Barret pounded his chest victoriously, making Cloud sigh in defeat, shaking his head and the rest of the group burst out in laugter despite the danger – _or because of it_ , Aeris thought.

...

Meanwhile in Junon's Labs Hojo stood watch over his unconscious son. He'd attached cannulas in both his arms, and had been intravenously injecting him with Mako to the point of poisoning.

 _Curious_ , Hojo observed, Sephiroth appeared to be dreaming, there was sweat forming on his brow and his eyes were moving fast under closed lids. Almost affectionately Hojo wiped it away with a sterile cloth. After all, specimen number 1 was his greatest, most brilliant success. _Perhaps too brilliant_..

 _Too bad I lost the Cetra before I could harvest some eggs_ , he thought, fixing his glasses on his nose. _Oh well, you win some you lose some._ _Besides, If I freeze Sephiroth's genetic material I can afford to wait for as long as it takes to capture her again.._

Just then the door to his lab hissed open and a lab assistant scurried inside. "Excuse me Professor sir, the vice president would like a conference call."

Hojo's features drew into an annoyed frown, briefly averting his gaze from his son to fix his dull green eyes on the assistant. "Tell Rufus I'll be right there."

"R-right Sir, yes, right away sir!" The assistant scurried away leaving Hojo alone with Sephiroth once more.

"Well then, son, we've come to the end of the line. I'll soon have collected all the genetic material I can ever need of you.. I may be decripit now, but thanks to you and Jenova I won't be for long!" He then burst into a mad cackle.

"Too bad you won't live to see it.." Hojo added, almost regretfully, eyeing a tank of acid at the far end of the room he used to dispose of failed specimens. "I bet you wish you'd been more obedient now, don't you? Well, you can comfort yourself by thinking perhaps your offspring will be.. I'll leave you to your dreams for now. I've got a conference call, after all.. heheh.." Hojo's cackles quitened down as he turned from Sephiroth and the rest of his specimens and followed his lab assistant down the hall into the conference room.

Several people already sat there, listening to Rufus Shinra prattling on about how 'his time was nigh'. What a joke. The brat didn't know how to rule anymore than his old man. Hojo almost rolled his eyes.

"The current government has simply been too Midgar centric and afraid to expand. I believe we should grow Mako-economy fast and decisively. Any investments we put in now will reap vast rewards in the future once the populace becomes dependant on this commodity we provide." Rufus couldn't have looked more smug as he spouted this, like it was some original thought he came up with and not something his expensive tutors fed into his head all his life.

But really, Hojo couldn't have cared less.

"If I may ask, vice president sir, what will that mean for the science departments funding?" Hojo knew how to grovel when necessary, he knew his time was coming.

Rufus stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Of course we'll need to increase the funding even if my old man opposes it – progress is inevitable! We want maximum output from all our reactors."

 _Excellent_ , Hojo all but purred, _I know which Shinra I'll be supporting_..

Rufus cleared his throat to catch Hojo's attention. "Professor Hojo, I understand you have the former general Sephiroth in captivity at Junon base?"

"We do indeed. Why do you ask?" Hojo answered, perplexed.

Rufus looked intently into the camera. "We might have a use for him. I'll tell you more about it once I arrive in Junon. Unfortunately business will keep me in Midgar for a day or two longer than expected. Otherwise I'd naturally be joining my father on the journey there."

"Of course." Hojo nodded politely. _More like you're too busy with your mistresses_ , not that he was judging really, after all he had a few of his own..

"Farewell until then," Rufus bowed politely and the connection went out.

Hojo fixed the glasses on his nose thoughtfully. Things were about to get interesting..


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17.

AN: Sorry for no updates for a while, I'm still working on this story.. I hope what I came up with makes up for the wait.

...

"Intruder alert. Intruder alert." Red lights were flashing as AVALANCHE ran through the corridors of Junon base.

"Damnit!" Cloud cursed loudly, signaling right for the next turn. "They just had to set up bots for surveillance!" The group followed a step behind him, Aeris bringing up the rear breathing heavily. Her legs felt like lead at this point, she'd been trying to keep up with the others but was falling steadily behind. Only Vincent cast a few concerned glances her way to see if she was still following.

After she stopped to lean against a wall to catch her breath even he gave up and ran along the rest of the group, their combined steps fading further and further away. Aeris fell down against the wall, panting. What was she to do now? The building was in lock-down, the ShinRa president long gone on a company helicopter and she was alone with no Sephiroth or AVALANCHE to protect her. She clasped her staff with both hands, frightened of the troopers that would soon find her and deliver her to professor Hojo and the science department.

The only thing she could think of doing was to hide, and fast. She scrambled to her feet, desperately trying the doorhandles on both sides of the long white walled hallway. All of them seemed locked, electronically most likely. In desperation she cast a weak bolt spell on one of the sturdy metal doors in hopes of short-circuiting the locking system, but apparently ShinRa had decent ground wiring.

 _Figures they'd spen_ _d_ _all their massive wealth on state of the art military bases_ , Aeris grumbled, then swallowed up a sob. The only hiding spot in sight were the swinging door bathrooms ahead. Defeated, she made her way towards them. _Great. This'll buy me maybe a minute of freedom_ , she sighed, almost resigned to her fate. But when she found herself inside, new hope sprung up.

There we're airvents in the smallish room. Big enough for her to crawl through. Though a part of her shuddered with claustrophobia, now was not the time to be squeamish. She started to look around feverishly for something she could use to unscrew the bolts keeping the vent covering in place, until she thought of the small pouch of gil in her travel bag. After a moments rummaging she fished out a coin and set out to unscrew the cover, all the while balancing on a conveniently industrial sized trashcan. After some hopping and not so ladylike huffing and grunting, she managed to pull herself into the vents and began crawling along. The metallic covering she'd hidden behind the trashcan, hoping it would buy her some time if the soldiers weren't immediatly clued in that someone was in the vents.

Every now and then there was a barred opening in the vents, giving her a partial view of what was going on below. Squads of blue uniformed cadets carrying riffles scurried by, their commander yelling orders Aeris couldn't quite make out over the blaring noise of the alarm. It didn't seem like they'd caught AVALANCHE yet at least. _If they can do it, I can too_ , she repeated in her thoughts like a mantra, determined to make it out of the vents at least. _Then what, though?_

After several crossroads in the vent network Aeris gasped as she saw the path she was on was a dead end, leading to a grate that luckily hung haphazardly on one screw. She might be able to push it aside and drop down, if only she didn't have to do it head first.. But there was no way to turn around in the cramped space. _At least I can take a look if it's a soft landing.._

When she got sight of the room outside, she discovered the reason for the vents sorry state. Below was a greenhouse of sorts, various plants growing under UV lights. The air was so humid it was heavy to breathe, and the screws on the grate had rusted through. Below her, both to her worry and relief, was a large tank of water full of aquatic plants and corals. Biting her lip Aeris eyed the UV lit water below. The drop from the vent didn't seem THAT long, but she also knew she couldn't swim, having spent her whole life landlocked in the slums. The tanks didn't seem that deep.. just deep enough for the water to reach over her head and drown her. While she considered her options she looked about the large open space, searching for any ShinRa botanists but found none. Apart from the electric lights the room was cast in shadow and eerily quiet. The only sound was the steady humming of the water filtration system.

The place _seemed_ safe enough. Then again, that's what she'd thought when she and Sephiroth stepped aboard that accursed ship back in Surma.. Taking a deep breath for courage, Aeris shimmied as far off the ledge as she could without toppling over. "Well, here goes nothing.." She whispered into the shadows and squeezed her eyes shut holding her nose as her body plummeted into the tank with a splash.

After a moments panic she swam (alright, more like frantically splashed about) until she reached the thick glass edge of the tank and clung for dear life. The water wasn't as warm as the humid air had led her to believe and she shivered in her heavy wet clothes. Pushing back a loose bang of hair from her eyes, Aeris pushed herself over the tank wall and then clumsily fell to the concrete floor, knees scraped and sore. "Never doing that again.." She grumbled to herself.

After a moments rest she got back on her feet, squeezed the excess water from her braid and the hem of her long dress – it did nothing to dry either but at least she wasn't leaving behind a trail of dripping water.

As she made her way through the room looking for an exit, she couldn't help checking out the various plants grown there. Some were blooming, exotic looking flowers she couldn't identlfy, others looked more plain. Yet others were thorny, alien looking things. Were they grown for medicinal purposes, for research? Aeris' eyes widened with realization. _Oh no._

 _That must mean I'm on the science department floor_.

...

Two floors below Barret was hitting his muscular shoulder against a locked door with all his considerable might. AVALANCHE had raced down a stairwell only to find themselves trapped at the bottom like fish in a barrel.

After a few choice words at the stubborn door that refused to budge, Barret turned to his teammates. "Now what, mr. Leader?!" He asked Cloud, throwing his arms up in defeat.

Cloud was pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes closed in concentration. "We have to backtrack until we find another exit. There must be more than one stairwell on this floor."

"I thought ya knew this place. Give us some better directions, damnit."

Cloud threw an annoyed look at Barret. "I was never up here, these are civilian floors. Offices, labs, archives, that sort of thing."

Barret scoffed. "Might've helped if you'd told us dat before making us follow ya up here!"

"It's not like I had options! At least we're not having to fight through military barracks and armories with guard bots and turrets."

Tifa stepped between the two men. "Guys! Let's not fight among ourselves right now. We've got to focus on getting out of here, analysis of tactics used can wait until later when we're SAFE." She gave Barret a pointed look and the large man seemed to relent, stepping back amongst the others, muttering something about 'good for nuthin' dingbat blonde' under his breath.

"You OK?" Tifa asked Cloud with concern. He raised his head and nodded.

"I'm fine.. Just mad at myself I guess. We should have prepared better. Barret has a right to be upset."

Tifa grabbed his hand and gave it a slight, supportive squeeze. "It's not your fault. This is kind of what AVALANCHE is all about. Rushing into the fray without much thought for the consequences." She said with a wry smile.

Cloud huffed and glanced up the staircase they'd just come from. Shouting and the sound of slamming doors echoed from somewhere far above. "We've still got time. Come on, let's get going."

As the group trudged along back up the stairs Tifa mulled over her troubled thoughts over having left Aeris behind – after all, it was one of the most important tenets of AVALANCHE never to leave a teammate behind. Technically Aeris hadn't been one of them and it remained a question mark exactly where her loyalties laid, but still..

"Do you think we made the right call?" She asked Cloud, climbing up the stairs beside her.

He glanced at her and sighed. "I don't know. We couldn't very well carry her if she can't keep up. We shouldn't have brought her along in the first place. I was just concerned-" Frustrated, Cloud ran a hand through his unruly hair.

Tifa finished the sentence for him. "-that she'd rat us out?"

Cloud nodded. "Taking out ShinRa is too important. More important than her or me."

Tifa fell into silence a moment. "I wonder.. Next in line to power is his son.. All we really know of him is what the tabloids say, that he's some spoiled playboy, not really interested in the family business. We can't know how he'd rule. He might even be worse than his old man."

"Maybe.. We'll just have to see. ShinRa has to be brought down one way or another. I doubt they can be reformed."

"Yo Cloud, Red thinks he might've caught scent of something." Barret called out from ahead, gesturing the pair follow. Behind an unlocked door was a large balcony with telescopes looking out to the sea. A slight breeze blew in from the sea, chilling the team, but even the grey sky looming up above was a welcome sight. Cloud peeked over the railing at the ground below.

"We could climb down with rope.." He thought aloud.

"Well, some of us could." Red grumbled.

"We're not leaving you behind, don't worry. We'll think of something, right Cloud?" Tifa turned to Cloud, all the while thinking.

"We'll just have to lower you down first.. You can scout out the area while you're down there too."

"Sounds like a plan," Tifa nodded and the group proceeded tying all their individual ropes together into one long one, mentally preparing for the grueling descent to the rocky ground far below.

...

"Oh fudge apples." Aeris muttered as she peeked out around the corner of the cubicle she was hiding in. Two ShinRa scientists were standing by a coffee maker mugs in hand, talking animately about something in hushed tones. Other than the two of them the open office space seemed empty and cast in shadows, most of the computer monitors and screens having been turned off. _Maybe I can sneak past them, they seem distracted at least.._

Crouching as low as she could Aeris sneaked behind what looked like a row of tall servers on the other side of the room. The air near them was chilled by a powerful cooling system on the ceiling, which was emitting a constant low buzz – thankfully the sound seemed to have masked the sound of her footsteps. She peeked around the corner again at the scientists in labcoats who were still sipping their coffee. This time, being much nearer to them, Aeris could make out some of their talk from her hiding place.

"..wonder what the commotion is all about, management said we're in lockdown. Think it could have something to do with them prepping Sephiroth for transport?"

Aeris' ears pricked up at the name. Was Sephiroth being kept on this floor, and if so, where was he being moved? She listened more closely as the other, older scientist shrugged his shoulders.

"Could be anything. I just do my job, cash in my paycheck and don't ask questions. That's the way you last here, kiddo."

The younger, female scientist nodded her head thoughtfully and took a sip of her coffee. "I don't like it though. I thought they were going to get rid of that.. _thing_."

"What, you mean Sephiroth?"

The female scientist nodded emphatically. "Yeah. He always gave me the creeps. Like his eyes.. He's not human."

Again, the older man shrugged. "They are pretty feline I suppose.. I was never involved with the Jenova project myself but I heard rumours of human experimentation. Wouldn't surprise me if he was the result of such experiments. I try not to get involved in what Hojos department gets up to.. I'm telling you that guy isn't right in the head and you don't want his focus on you."

The woman opposite him visibly shuddered. "More like Sephiroths part _reptile_. Cold blooded like one, too.. I heard the war stories, I think everyone did.. About the massacres, the cruelty.."

"You know Hojo's his pop? At least that's what he tells all the women that fawn all over him. Only way that nutjob can get laid I suppose.." The man scoffed darkly and finished his drink, washing out the mug and setting it on a shelf above the sink.

"Well, break's over, back to the daily grind.." He smiled at the woman briefly then walked past her around a corner. Aeris could hear his retreating footsteps. The woman with him soon followed, leaving Aeris alone in the room.

She sighed sadly. If that had been the attitude of Sephiroths caretakers it was little wonder he'd grown up to treat others with similar disdain.. She'd learned little that she didn't already know or suspect, other than that Sephiroth was still in the building, _likely on this floor_ , but about to be moved as soon as the lockdown was lifted.

Aeris worried her bottom lip, her heart shaped face scrunched up in thought. Maybe she could find and rescue him? Should she even try, given all that she'd learned of his past? AVALANCHE had suggested her loyalty to him stemmed from Stockholm syndrome, but Aeris had stubbornly insisted otherwise. As monstrous as Sephiroth was capable of being, at times she saw something very human and broken in him, and the healer in her responded to that. At least that's what she told herself..

After all, she'd taken it upon herself on numerous occasions to treat the sick, the mako poisoned and the wounded in the slums. Was Sephiroth just another patient to her? Something about the thought didn't ring true to her so she shook it off and proceeded to slink through the shadows towards double doors with a green, brightly lit 'exit' sign above.

 _If I find him, I'll do what I can to help_ , Aeris thought. This place seems pretty empty right now, I might be able to search some rooms without being detected.. She didn't know what kind of condition she'd find him in though. He was probably being kept heavily sedated, she sighed, pushing past the swing doors into a darkened hallway.

With renewed resolve she stepped forward, the door swinging silently shut behind her.


End file.
